Oh, Bobby Kotick. I’ll admit that you had us going there. You showed up dressed down at DICE and gave (for you) an honest, almost humbled speech, showing that you might have actually had a softer side to you. We almost believed we were seeing a kinder, gentler Bobby Kotick. And to be honest, it felt a little weird. However, events this week have brought the universe back into balance, and then some, with the current drama between Activision and Modern Warfare developers Infinity Ward. If you want more of the back story, G4 TV has good, extensive coverage of the happenings and goings-on.

As gamers, I think the default position we would take on this is that Big Bad Activision is back at it again. It’s an easy position, given the parties involved. Activision is a successful, albeit sometimes cold and unfeeling, corporate entity that tries to milk every last dollar they can out of their properties. Look no further than the numerous sequels, 342 different iterations of “Hero” rhythm games, plans to release StarCraft 2 as three separate games (one for each campaign), and World of Warcraft for prime examples. Their CEO is a polarizing figure who once talked about instilling a culture of “skepticism, pessimism, and fear.” He also once expressed his wish that he could charge even more for games. I could go on.

Then you have Infinity Ward. What have they given us? Only Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. And Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Games that were pretty much universally loved by gamers, especially FPS fans. Can they do any wrong?

For the most part, gamers hate Activision (with a level of venom that only EA used to get). And they worship Infinity Ward. So when you hear reports of hours-long interrogations, security guards showing up at Infinity Ward, the dismissal of IW’s two biggest players, Jason West and Vince Zampella, just ahead of an alleged royalty payment date (according to the lawsuit they filed), claims of insubordination and breach of contract on the part of West and Zampella by Activision, disputes over who actually owns the rights to Modern Warfare games, and other shenanigans, well, it’s a logical cliff to jump off of. Tack on the fact that IW’s games have resulted in billions of revenue for Activision, and the recent layoffs by the megapublisher, and you have the appearance of a ruthless publisher who will spare nobody from its wrath and business dealings.

Not so fast.

This situation will be a marathon, not a sprint, as this saga is destined to go through the legal system for a while. And while it certainly can look like a slam dunk for West and Zampella (and Activision have pretty much already lost in the court of public opinion, if you believe message board and blog reply postings), there are a few rather interesting tidbits that can’t be overlooked.

Relations between West and Zampella and Activision had apparently not been all that rosy lately. They’re also contending that they actually have the rights (not Activision, or even Infinity Ward, technically, I believe) to make Modern Warfare games. Now add on that Sledgehammer Games was brought on to make a Call of Duty action-adventure title in 2011. This would bring the number of developers making COD games to three (Treyarch alternates making FPS COD games with IW every year currently). Could this have caused issues with West and Zampella, especially if that Sledgehammer title might have been more in the Modern Warfare vein vs. World at War games that Treyarch makes?

Remember, as well, that Infinity Ward was founded by a number of employees who left 2015 Studios after they created Medal of Honor: Allied Assault for the PC. That in itself wouldn’t be a big deal, but when you consider that Activision are looking to obtain documents in relation to plans for future projects (like, say, Modern Warfare 3), creation of a new studio independent of Infinity Ward (not unlike how IW came from 2015 Studios), and, interestingly, communications with Activision competitors, specifically mentioning Electronic Arts.

So, is Activision simply a greedy, bloodsucking, soulless corporate giant that is trying to screw the co-founders of a developer who created games that resulted in billions of dollars of revenue for them? Or were West and Zampella scheming to take the Modern Warfare franchise and defect to Electronic Arts, their feelings hurt because another studio might be brought in to make “their” game, and in the process screw over the publishers who helped get them off the ground (and eventually bought them)?

Most likely, as with all cases like this, the answer probably lies somewhere in the middle. (That’s right, another cliche.) Which means it wouldn’t shock me to see an eventual court settlement that sees West and Zampella get paid, and be released from any obligation to Activision, allowing them to form their own studio, while Activision retains the rights to Modern Warfare games.

As much as we all want to rush to condemn Activision (and with good cause), there’s no way we know the whole story yet. This will only get more interesting as the weeks progress and more info becomes available, especially if this thing ever gets to court. So for now, fanbois, it’s probably best to take your rage to the message boards and discuss another topic. Like, say, Final Fantasy XIII on PS3 vs. XBox 360. And… go!

Because to me, something smells about this whole story, and I’m catching a bit of a whiff from both sides right now.