In an early level of Modern Warfare 2, you assume the role of a young special-forces recruit assigned to go undercover with a Russian terrorist cell. “Yesterday you were a soldier on the front lines,” intones Lieutenant General Shepherd, your gruff and almost comically amoral commander, voiced by the actor Lance Henriksen. “But today, the front lines are history.” He warns that your mission will involve significant collateral damage, and “will cost nothing compared to everything you’ll save.”

Moments later, you find yourself in a crowded international airport as your Russian compatriots begin indiscriminately mowing down travelers. There’s an automatic weapon in your hand, and as you watch the terrorists slay innocent people, you begin to wonder what will happen if you join in by tapping the “X” button.

It is possible to complete the level, “No Russian,” without shooting any civilians; you can simply hang back as the terrorists kill people. But most players follow General Shepherd’s instructions and start firing, killing dozens of screaming travelers. Whatever you do, the scene ends with a dramatic plot twist. Just as you try to hop into the back of a getaway van, your comrades throw you to the ground and shoot you in the head. As you expire, you learn that the terrorists knew you were an American the whole time; you’ve been set up.

It’s fitting that the level, which was controversial even within the video-game industry, became West and Zampella’s artistic calling card. The story of double agents and deep-cover espionage almost perfectly encapsulates their own penetration of the corporate entertainment world. As Kotick put it, “These guys are sophisticated businessmen and entrepreneurs”—in short, a lot like him. “They negotiate deals with the biggest companies and hire the best lawyers.”

In the months leading up to the trial, West and Zampella’s demands for damages increased from $36 million to more than $1 billion to account, in part, for possible future earnings, and Activision started to act defensively. In an S.E.C. filing on May 9, 2012, the company disclosed that it had begun setting aside cash in case a verdict in the lawsuit went against it. The following day, Activision announced that it had hired D.C. power lawyer Beth Wilkinson, a former army captain who led the government’s successful prosecution of Timothy McVeigh to lead the trial. Wilkinson immediately asked for a delay to get up to speed on the case, but her request was denied.

A few days later, Activision, which had steadfastly refused to pay bonuses to former Infinity Ward developers who had defected to Respawn and joined West and Zampella’s suit, announced a reversal: it would immediately pay them a total of $42 million. The company also announced that it had reached a settlement with EA over the alleged poaching of West and Zampella. With the trial only days away, it offered West and Zampella a settlement thought to be in the tens of millions of dollars. They accepted.

In a statement, EA called the settlement, “a vindication of Vince and Jason, and the right of creative artists to collect the rewards due for their hard work.” As he walked out of the courthouse in early June following the judge’s dismissal of the case, West flashed reporters an ear-to-ear smile, pleased that his narrative of starving artists taking on an evil corporation had found some success. After the signing agreement, Activision stopped responding to questions about its battle with Respawn. A person close to Activision cited the terms of the settlement as a reason for its refusal to comment.

But the story wasn’t over. A person close to the company says that revelations about West’s erratic behavior at Activision, which came out during the depositions, upset Zampella. “Vince felt that Jason was sabotaging the company,” says the source. As the Respawn team scrambled to finish Titanfall, West was barely coming to the office. In March, he officially parted ways with his longtime partner, moving his family to North Carolina and leaving Zampella in control of Respawn. In an interview in April, Zampella refused to elaborate on what had separated them—except to say, “It’s hard to work with one person for 15 years.”

In the end, the battle over Call of Duty cost Kotick almost nothing. The three subsequent sequels to the Call of Duty franchise, produced without West and Zampella, have each grossed more than $1 billion. Activision’s stock is up 30 percent since their firing, and its chief executive made $64.9 million last year—second only to Larry Ellison among U.S. C.E.O.’s. Bobby Kotick lost the battle, but he won the war.

I last spoke with West in August. He seemed distant, and his words came haltingly. “It does sort of sour you on the industry” he told me. “It’s tough. If we can’t get treated well, what possible chance does a newcomer have? How do they prevent themselves from being strong-armed by the guys with the money? I wish I had the answer to that question, but I don’t.”