West & Zampella Trial Gets The Go-Ahead News

An LA Superior Court Judge has ruled that former Infinity Ward studio head's, Jason West and Vince Zampella have enough evidence to support their lawsuit against Activision for the case to go to court.

West & Zampella filed claims against Activision last year for unfair dismissal, unpaid royalties from the sales of Modern Warfare 2, creative control of the Modern Warfare brand, and damages totalling $36 million.

Activision's countersuit against West & Zampella was given the green light in March, and includes a $400 million claim against rival publisher, Electronic Arts. It's alleged that EA illegally sought the services of West & Zampella while they were still under contract at Activision.

West & Zampella have subsequently formed a new studio called Respawn Entertainment under the EA Partners program, taking numerous Infinity Ward staff with them in the process. The studio's first game is known to be a sci-fi shooter, although precisely how far the project is into development remains unclear.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, both West & Zampella's lawsuit and Activision's countersuit are now emerging from the preliminary stages and, barring any settlements, look likely to end up in court later this year or early in 2012.