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EA Announces New Development Studio Headed by West and Zampella
Alex Tretrop
We reported, way back in March, that trouble was brewing at Infinity Ward and while we never got the full story, we have been getting some tidbits of info if you’ve been following the legal dispute that’s been going on for a while between Activision and the co-founders of Infinity Ward, Jason West and Vince Zampella, on the ownership of the Modern Warfare franchise.
Everyone thought that they would sign a contract with EA and, unsurprisingly, we were right!
More Info after the break!
West and Zampella have both signed an exclusive contract of publishing agreements with EA Partners and created their own studio, entitled Respawn Entertainment.
Quote - from the two men detailing some information about the company:
“Respawn Entertainment marks a fresh start for Jason and me,” said Zampella. “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 Respawn president West. “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.
The announcement also says, very often, that “the move positions the Respawn Entertainment leadership team as the owners of the intellectual property they create,” which is probably to make sure that another legal dispute won’t happen again considering that West and Zampella are currently suing Activision for control over the Modern Warfare 2 brand.
Later in the day - EA Partners President Frank Gibeau was also interviewed where he reported that:
This is the start of a great publishing partnership - one that I expect will develop blockbuster game franchises. Jason and Vince are two of the top creative leaders in the entertainment industry. At EA, we’re honored to be their partners and to give them the support they need to hire a team and return to making incredible games.
Respawn is now hiring - and accepting job applications via email while Activision has officially stated that:
This agreement comes as no surprise to Activision given the myriad of improper activities detailed in the cross-complaint filed on Friday against Jason West and Vince Zampella. We look forward to continuing to work with Infinity Ward’s deep bench of proven talent on exciting new projects.
While the owners of the Call of Duty franchise probably won’t be determined for a little while, It’s excellent to see that West and Zampella are getting back into the business again!
