DA
04-13-2010, 09:13 PM
A new development studio has been announced today, but this isn't just any new company -- it's being founded by Jason West and Vince Zampella, the former president and CEO, respectively, of Call of Duty developer Infinity Ward. This news comes amidst ongoing litigation between the two and Infinity Ward's owner, Activision.
The new company, Respawn Entertainment, will join the EA Partners program, giving Electronic Arts exclusive publishing and distribution rights for their future games.
"Respawn Entertainment marks a fresh start for Jason and me," said Vince Zampella, who will assume the role of General Manager at Respawn Entertainment. "For the past decade we led a great development team and poured our hearts into creating an epic game franchise. We're very proud of what we built -- and proud that so many millions of fans enjoyed those games. Today we hope to do it all over again -- open a new studio, hire a great team, and create brand new games with a new partner, EA."
"We're excited," added Jason West, President of Respawn Entertainment. "Now that the team is in control of the games and brands, we can ensure that the fans are treated as well as they deserve."
Respawn's official website, located at www.respawn.com, is currently comprised of nothing more than an email address, jobs@respawn.com, where Respawn will be accepting job resumes for designers, artists, and engineers. We have to wonder if Respawn already has two additional staffers, following the recent departure of lead designer Todd Alderman and lead software engineer Francesco Gigliotti from Infinity Ward.
Activision's lawsuit claims that the duo conspired with a rival publisher to form a new studio. West and Zampella's suit alleges "breach of contract, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, wrong termination in violation of public policy, and declaratory relief," as well as control over the Modern Warfare brand.
We'll have more details on Respawn and any comments from Activision as we hear about them.
1UP
The new company, Respawn Entertainment, will join the EA Partners program, giving Electronic Arts exclusive publishing and distribution rights for their future games.
"Respawn Entertainment marks a fresh start for Jason and me," said Vince Zampella, who will assume the role of General Manager at Respawn Entertainment. "For the past decade we led a great development team and poured our hearts into creating an epic game franchise. We're very proud of what we built -- and proud that so many millions of fans enjoyed those games. Today we hope to do it all over again -- open a new studio, hire a great team, and create brand new games with a new partner, EA."
"We're excited," added Jason West, President of Respawn Entertainment. "Now that the team is in control of the games and brands, we can ensure that the fans are treated as well as they deserve."
Respawn's official website, located at www.respawn.com, is currently comprised of nothing more than an email address, jobs@respawn.com, where Respawn will be accepting job resumes for designers, artists, and engineers. We have to wonder if Respawn already has two additional staffers, following the recent departure of lead designer Todd Alderman and lead software engineer Francesco Gigliotti from Infinity Ward.
Activision's lawsuit claims that the duo conspired with a rival publisher to form a new studio. West and Zampella's suit alleges "breach of contract, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, wrong termination in violation of public policy, and declaratory relief," as well as control over the Modern Warfare brand.
We'll have more details on Respawn and any comments from Activision as we hear about them.
1UP