Mike Griffith resigns from Activision Publishing

Activision Blizzard has announced that the CEO and president of its Activision Publishing subsidiary, Mike Griffith, has resigned his roles, effective from April 23 - although he will continue on with the company as vice-chairman of Activision Blizzard on a 12-month rolling contract.

The publisher is currently embroiled in a very messy, public battle with several members of its Infinity Ward studio, following the record-breaking success of Modern Warfare 2, released late last year - however, it's not clear if Griffith's resignation is linked with that or not.

Griffith will be paid a basic salary of $250,000 per year, with a discretionary bonus of 50 per cent (pro-rated) based on his previous roles for the first part of 2010, while he'll also likely be due 50,000 company shares, made up of common and restricted stock, subject to the approval of the board's Compensation Committee.

In his new role Griffith will include "participating in board of directors and chairman of the board meetings and other internal strategy sessions; providing counsel to Activision Blizzard's executive team; and providing services on key initiatives and projects, as requested by the CEO."

Griffith, who joined Activision in 2005, has been at the top of the company during the merger with Vivendi Games, as well as the initial success of the music game genre and the continued rise of the Call of Duty franchise.