Tippl: "We will continue to attract the top talent"

Activision COO and CFO Thomas Tippl has insisted that the publisher's first party developers are treated "extremely well" and that the company will continue to attract the top talent in the industry - a claim made in the wake of a number of high profile walk-outs at internal studio Infinity Ward.

"We treat our developers extremely well," Tippl said, speaking to the LA Times. "We have an independent studio model that provides them a lot of creative freedom while we take care of the back office stuff so they can focus on making games.

"If their games are successful, they are compensated better here than anywhere else. We've been paying our talent millions of dollars for their work. Our set-up provides a win-win opportunity. We ensure your work will reach a wide audience. Therefore, we have attracted, and we will continue to attract, the top talent in this industry."

11 staff are now reported to have left the Infinity Ward studio since Activision sacked studio heads Jason West and Vince Zampella on the grounds of insubordination.

However Tippl reiterated that three studios - Infinity Ward, Treyarch and Sledgehammer - were continuing work on Call of Duty titles. "The franchise plays an extremely important role within the overall plans for Activision," he said.

"A couple of weeks ago, we announced we will get more focused with a dedicated Call of Duty business to rally the best talent of the company against the opportunity that Call of Duty presents for the company. We’ve had multiple studios working with the franchise so we can come up with innovative, new content every year. Nobody should be surprised that we will continue to focus disproportionately against the franchise."

In response to quizzing on rumours that Infinity Ward is currently lacking in leadership and direction, Tippl said that resources were being provided to the two senior execs currently acting as interim leaders.

"We have interim leadership in place. We have two senior execs currently: Steve Pearce, our chief technology officer, and Steve Ackrich, who is the head of production for the company. We are currently in the process of configuring the new leadership team there," he said.

"Infinity Ward still has nearly 100 people. They've built a deep bench, and the change of guard will provide an opportunity for some of the rising stars to put their own stamp on the Call of Duty franchise. In addition, we will provide them with all the resources internally and recruit talent from the outside."