Call of Duty Sells Billions : Makers Head to Court

Activision's wildly popular video game "Call of Duty: Black Ops" has streaked past the billion-dollar sales mark this month, but the gaming company may not have a lot to celebrate this Christmas.

Activision has been in a pitched battled with "Call of Duty" developers since April, and on Tuesday, the company pulled another player, Electonic Arts, into the lawsuit. The developers, Jason West and Vincent Zampella, had created Activision's blockbuster Call of Duty franchise as heads of Infinity Ward, a studio Activision bought in 2003.

In the amended lawsuit, Activision names EA as a defendant, accusing the Redwood City, Calif., publisher of hatching a secret plot to "destabilize, disrupt and ... destroy Infinity Ward." The lawsuit accused EA of working through talent management firm Creative Artists Agency to "hijack" West and Zampella from Infinity Ward, based in Encino.