Today in a press release from EA, former Infinity Ward studio heads Jason West and Vince Zampella announced there new studio. “Respawn Entertainment marks a fresh start for Jason and me.” said Zampella the General Manager of Respawn Entertainment. This also marks a fresh start for gamers, in that the two will be guaranteed their creative needs, and wont feel pressure from a corporate body. EA also announced that Respawn will have an exclusive publishing deal with EA. This is different than their situation with Activision as any of the Intellectual Properties owned by Respawn, are owned by the company. I look forward to seeing games produced from Respawn. A lot of speculation has been also floating about if any of the Infinity Ward staff would follow West and Zampella. Two lead team members left Infinity Ward earlier in the month as well. The problem is that Activision claims that there is a “no poaching” clause in the twos contract. So far West and Zampella have been pretty smart and laid low trying to poach said employees. Instead I think the team will eventually follow them much like when they left EA to form Infinity Ward. Time will only tell though…
The complete Press Release:
All-New Independent Development Studio Signs Exclusive Worldwide Publishing Agreement with EA
Today, Jason West and Vince Zampella, creators of the multi-billion dollar Call of Duty® franchise, announced the formation of a new development studio – Respawn Entertainment. The move positions the Respawn Entertainment leadership team as the owners of the intellectual property they create. The company will focus on creating state-of-the-art gaming experiences for global audiences. The studio is currently assembling a world-class team of designers, artists and engineers. Applicants can submit resumes to jobs@respawn.com.
Respawn is pleased to also announce that it has awarded EA, through the distinguished EA Partners program, exclusive worldwide publishing and distribution rights to future games. Terms were not disclosed. West and Zampella are represented by Creative Artists Agency (CAA).
“Respawn Entertainment marks a fresh start for Jason and me,” said Vince Zampella, General Manager of 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.”
Frank Gibeau, President of the EA Games Label commented, “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.”
Source: http://www.ea.com/news/jason-west-and-vince-zampella-respawn-entertainment
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