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Seamus Blackley Leaves CAA
The head of the games division at the Creative Artists Agency is stepping down to set up a new game production studio.
Blackley, one of the principal architects of the original Xbox, joined the company in 2003 to bolster its presence in the video games industry. Under his guidance the agency won over an impressive roster of talent, signing the likes of Gears of War mastermind Cliff Bleszinski, Brutal Legend creator Tim Schafer, BioShock's Ken Levine, former Assassin's Creed creative director Patrice Désilets, and Infinity Ward founders Jason West and Vince Zampella.
CAA, which commonly shies away from the spotlight, was named in the ugly $400 million lawsuit between Activsion and former Infinity Ward heads West and Zampella. Activision's filing contained numerous e-mails between West/Zampella and Blackley, including one in which Blackley invited the duo to "a mean BBQ" on behalf of Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello.
After their abrupt termination from Activision, West and Zampella formed Respawn Entertainment and signed a publishing deal with EA Partners.
Variety reports Blackley plans to stay with the company until the end of the year to aid in the transition. We hear the reins of the games division are being handed over to agents David Stelzer and Ophir Lupu.
[Source: Variety]
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