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Call of Duty court case settled - Report

[UPDATE] Attorneys say legal proceedings between publisher and Call of Duty creators Jason West and Vince Zampella and 40 ex-Infinity Ward devs will not head to a trial; terms of settlement not disclosed; both parties comment on the settlement.

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There will be no courtroom drama in the case of Activision vs. Call of Duty creators Jason West and Vince Zampella, according to a new report at The Verge. The site reports that attorneys said the case has been resolved in a settlement and will not go to trial. This comes after days of behind-closed-doors meetings between both parties.

Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

The Los Angeles Times' Ben Fritz was in attendance at the Los Angeles courtroom today and said the lawsuit involving the 40 former Infinity Ward developers has also been settled. This was first reported earlier in the month.

Terms of the deal were reportedly "strictly confidential" and not disclosed. As of press time, neither Activision nor representatives from West and Zampella's new outfit Respawn Entertainment had responded to GameSpot's requests for comment.

In March 2010, Activision fired ex-Infinity Ward heads Jason West and Vince Zampella for insubordination, claiming the pair were secretly planning to start their new studio with the help of Electronic Arts.

West and Zampella filed a lawsuit against Activision for this move, claiming the real reason they were fired was so Activision wouldn't have to pay them millions of dollars in royalties associated with the November 2009 title Modern Warfare 2.

Beyond the performance-based payout and any other court-awarded monetary damages, West and Zampella sought to gain co-ownership of the Modern Warfare brand. It is unclear if they were successful in this endeavor.

[UPDATE] Following the publication of this story, Activision and Electronic Arts (representing Zampella and West) provided comment on the settlement. Below are their statements.

Electronic Arts:
"Activision's refusal to pay their talent and attempt to blame EA were absurd. This settlement is a vindication of Vince and Jason, and the right of creative artists to collect the rewards due for their hard work."

Activision:
"Activision Blizzard, Inc. today announced that all parties to the litigation have reached a settlement of the dispute, the terms of which are strictly confidential. The company does not believe that the incremental one-time charges related to the settlement will result in a material impact on its GAAP or non-GAAP earnings per share outlook for the current quarter or the calendar year, due to stronger-than-expected operating performance in the current quarter."

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