Activision Tried to Have Its Employees' Computers Hacked

[The Wooster]

Activision Tried to Have Its Employees' Computers Hacked

Activision asked an employee to "dig up dirt" on Call of Duty developers, Jason West and Vince Zampella.

According to a court document [http://documents.latimes.com/activision-fenady-testimony/] obtained by the Los Angeles Times, [http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-activision-documents-20120516,0,5025423.story] Activision's former IT chief, Thomas Fenady, testified that he was asked by Activision's in-house lawyer, George Rose, to hack Zampella and West's voicemail, email and computers in what he called "Operation Icebreaker."

Fenady testified that the aim of the operation was to build a case for firing West and Zampella; either because they were planning on jumping ship to EA, or because Activision owed them royalty money, depending on which side of the drawn-out court battle between the two parties you believe. Rose testified that the operation was formed as part of "contingency planning" about the Modern Warfare developers' future with the company.

Told not to "worry about the repercussions of [his] actions," Fenady tried to hire an outside company, InGuardians, to perform the task, but the company apparently couldn't get past the "legal hurdles" the operation presented. Stymied, Fenady approached Activision's Facilities department with a cunning plan. If they could stage a "fake fumigation" and a "mock fire drill," Zampella and West would be pulled away from their computers long enough for someone, who I like to imagine would be dressed as a ninja, to copy the contents of their hard drives. Fenady's plan never reached fruition, and Activision and its attorneys refused to comment on his testimony.

Other recently unsealed documents include the bonus plan from the developers' original agreement back in 2003, and a memorandum of understanding dated for 2008 that extended that contract.

As seedy as this sounds, I do love the idea of two grown men throwing around terms like "Operation Icebreaker." It makes me imagine a wonderful world where every single corporate activity comes with a fantastic military-esque monicker. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to arrange the Escapist's annual barbecue, or as I like to call it: "Operation Flameskull."

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[Fappy]

Why does this not surprise me at all? Is it just me or do game publishers get caught for sleazy practices more often than others in the entertainment industry?

 

[Sucal]

I gotta admit, the idea that the bosses actions in Saints Row 2 and 3 being based off that of Activisions own PR department is funny as hell. Then again I also admit that Icebreaker is a stupid name.

Though I find it even more incredibly funny they are accusing them of quitting and all that for bad reasons, when they were trying to find reasons to fire them in the first place.

 

[=y]

And suddenly none of their employees trust each other. Great atmosphere for working together you've just created Activision!

 

[RatRace123]

Wow, that's really really evil.
I mean, it's about what I'd expect from Activision, but wow.

Yeah, either way those guys might've been right going over to EA, of course EA might also be doing this. Wouldn't be surprising. Actually I'd imagine any big name publisher pulling this stunt.

Hmm, this industry is very corrupt ain't it?

 

[Vault101]

Not even Cerberus would do this

control chips sure..mabye the odd assasinsation..but not THIS

 

[CrazyCapnMorgan]

I gotta admit, the idea that the bosses actions in Saints Row 2 and 3 being based off that of Activisions own PR department is funny as hell. Then again I also admit that Icebreaker is a stupid name.

Though I find it even more incredibly funny they are accusing them of quitting and all that for bad reasons, when they were trying to find reasons to fire them in the first place.

I just wanted to say that your avatar fits this thread quite nicely. In fact, it summed up everything I wanted to say to Activision.

 

[evilneko]

Takin lessons from Rupert Murdoch, eh Activision?

 

[mcnally86]

Why does this not surprise me at all? Is it just me or do game publishers get caught for sleazy practices more often than others in the entertainment industry?

Because the game industry implies it's for children. People who make children's games like call of duty should not do bad things! My other theory is games haven't reached the critical mass of money where they can fund dictators like Exon did and it didn't effect their sales negatively.

To be fair they are reaching this point. As the PA folks pointed out I see a lot of people posting forum posts that say, "I just bought a 60$ game that does not work, we all knew the DRM always-on would suck but there was nothing we could do, they trapped us!" Followed by, "but I like the game a lot and this DRM that's totally broken is needed to protect the game from pirates and everyone else who wants to play." I don't like seeing the people who get flames for straight complaining about D3 and forgetting the Blizzard-Acti is 'infallible and great' statement at the end of the post.

Almost there, the games industry almost has enough money to get away with horrible things and hiding them.

 

[Bat Vader]

Now that this is known it makes me wonder if West and Zampella will try to sue Activision or get the people who ordered it arrested. I imagine they are pretty mad about this.

 

[Polarity27]

You know, I recently read some research findings that executives in mega-corps have an abnormal amount of sociopathy-like personality traits. I'm finding, between things like this and the recent interview with J.P. Morgan's CEO, very little reason to doubt that research.

 

[thebobmaster_v1legacy]

...Wow. I have never actually gone through with boycotting a company before, but fuck Activision. I have one game they published, that I haven't got rid of because I'd barely get anything out of it, and I'm not getting another.

 

[Solo-Wing]

...Wow. I have never actually gone through with boycotting a company before, but fuck Activision. I have one game they published, that I haven't got rid of because I'd barely get anything out of it, and I'm not getting another.

Join the club. I started boycotting them the second I saw what they did to Spyro.

 

[Charli]

*shudder* Activision you just keep making your name sound more and more unclean each time you crop up in the media you know that?

I really wish some of my favorite developers stopped (having to) use you... you're just... assholes.

 

[BehattedWanderer]

I can't read this without hearing the Catch Me if you Can opening song playing, followed by the Pink Panther theme playing in my head. Sneaky sneaky, Activision.

What I'm supposed to take from this is that there are some shady business practices going in in the industry. What I'm actually taking from this is that the Escapist has an annual barbeque??? Awesome!

 

[Fr]anc[is]

I'm sorry, all the cool adjective-noun combinations have already been taken. You'll have to settle for calling the BBQ "Operation Pink Corgi"

 

[Rooster Cogburn]

Now that this is known it makes me wonder if West and Zampella will try to sue Activision or get the people who ordered it arrested. I imagine they are pretty mad about this.

My GUESS is, the computers in question belonged to their employer and acquiring the data on them would have been legal. I'm not sure on either count. But I would certainly understand them being mad.