“When you’re a massive brand with a massive budget, people want to work with you for the money,” Robert Bowling said in a recent exclusive interview with GamesBeat. While subtle, it’s a distinct reference to how business works at his previous employer and the world’s largest video game publisher, Activision.
Things are different now, though. Bowling made headlines in March when he abruptly left his position as creative strategist at Call of Duty developer Infinity Ward and, by extension, parent company Activision. Many in the industry thought the obvious destination for Bowling was Respawn Entertainment, the two-year-old independent studio staffed by several Modern Warfare alumni, including previous Infinity Ward heads Vince Zampella and Jason West. However, a month after leaving Activision, Bowling announced his own self-funded studio, Robotoki. It was a bold step, especially in this economic climate, but it was one he felt he had to make.
Captain Price's fate at the end of 2011's Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 could've been very different, as this new post-credits scene reveals.
The developers have provided a little band-aid while PlayStation players attempt to get back into MW3.
Recently, players of Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone were met with a new bundle featuring the B.E.A.S.T. Glove, inspired by King Kong's armament in the Godzilla x Kong movie. However, the $80 price tag attached to this themed accessory left many Call of Duty fans feeling underwhelmed.
Morons that allow themselves to be milked continuously by this company is the definition of irony.
Spend more $$ and you'll end up In easier lobbies so you win both ways when ya spend that cash
Controversy in the COD community feels like it happens within an alternate timeline. Activision will take the piss with something, there will be a momentary fuss about it, and then they will forget about it and carry on anyway. Repeat this cycle literally every year for the rest of time.
They call that a crack head! Thats what this is really about, its an addiction. People who dont smoke cigarettes look and laugh at the addicts that spend $8-$10 a pack, but they cant help themselves, they are addicted. That same analogy applies perfectly to the whole MT industry. Only an addict that was not thinking clearly would spend this kind of money on something so frivolous. A round of multiplayer provides the same high a person gets from scratching a lotto ticket, or putting money on a sports bet. MT in general need to really be regulated because you have a generation of kids becoming adults who grew up only knowing the MT era of gaming. Its normal to them and they will in turn teach their kids the same by just being a gaming parent and getting their kids involved with them in gaming. Thats why no matter how ridiculous the headlines keep getting out of the MT industry, it never seems to fade or go away.
I'm so tired of hearing about what they're doing with this game, its never going to change and it's never going to value the consumer over money, furthermore the people who engage so heavily in the microtransactions I guess allegedly are having a blast and can't wait to do it some more this year when the new version of the game drops.
Should be interesting to see what kind of games he makes without the funds to compete with triple-A shooters.
Hard to really call himself "indie" when he's got copious amounts of money to spend on whatever he's developing. When I think of "indie", I think of Amanita Design. A handful of people with limited means in the Czech Republic putting out fantastic adventure games. Not some multi-millionaire who got bored of CoD.
Creative strategist - Indie Developer?
I don't actually know what a creative strategist is....but I don't think it's at all related to programming. No?
Can someone explain to my why this man matters? I am serious. What exactly did he do at IW?