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After reviewing evidence in its upcoming case against its former employees, Activision has given $42 million dollars to a group of former employees from Call of Duty developer Infinity Ward.

The payment, given to the group's attorney after determining the employees were under no implication, is in addition to a previous $22 million payment that was a first-quarter launch bonus for Modern Warfare 2.

This payment, however, does not end the case in settlement. According to a statement from the group's lawyer, Bruce Issacs, "This is a cynical attempt to look good before the jury trial," stating that while it is a "meaningful payment it is only a small portion of what we are seeking."

The lawsuit, which was filed by 40 people from Infinity Ward in 2010, was valued initially at $42 million dollars, a number which has inflated and was only based on royalties due at the time of filing.  The plaintiffs are now seeking $75-$125 million dollars, in addition to $75-$500 million in punitive damages. 

Things are starting to heat up in the lawsuit, with Activision hiring Beth Wilkerson, the high profile attorney responsible for the closing argument in the Timothy McVeigh case.  Activision sees the payment as getting rid of the employees and is setting its sights on former Infinity Ward heads Jason West and Vince Zampella.

Recently, reports have pointed to continued strain between Activision and the current developers at Infinity Ward, as Treyarch's Call of Duty: Black Ops II features a futuristic setting that is supposed to be the sole domain of IW.

Source: Polygon (The Verge)

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