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Ex-IW Bosses Open New Studio, Announce Deal With EA

The Activision/Infinity Ward blowup isn't about to go away anytime soon but that hasn't stopped the two ex-IW leads from moving on with their lives.

Today, as reported by GameSpot , EA has announced a deal with Vince Zampella and Jason West; the publisher will be the sole distributor for any games the duo's new studio pumps out. That's right, a new studio: called Respawn Entertainment (get it?), the new development team, headed by the embattled duo, will be "in the same part of Los Angeles as Infinity Ward," which contributed greatly to the $3 billion Call of Duty franchise ( Modern Warfare 2 alone generated $1 billion). "For a cut of the sales proceeds," EA Partners often teams up with talented studios, including Valve Software ( Left 4 Dead 2 ), Crytek ( Crysis 2 ), and Epic Games ( Gears of War , Bulletstorm ). All of this within days of Activision filing a countersuit against Zampella and West, accusing them of "breach of contract and insubordination" and of being "self-serving schemers." You may also remember that the publisher said the two had embarked on a "secret trip" to Northern California…well, EA's HQ is in San Francisco and now we have this deal, here. Therefore, in an update, Activision responded quickly to this turn of events by saying:

"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."

Not surprisingly, given the current struggle, Respawn Entertainment emphasized that they will retain "full control of all intellectual properties it creates." Of course, that's part of the whole battle with Activision; Zampella and West have claimed that the publisher promised them control of the Modern Warfare brand before unceremoniously firing them. The former IW bosses also seek some $36 million in damages from (apparently) unpaid royalties. And by the way, Respawn made it abundantly clear that they're currently hiring, and EA has promised to help them assemble "a world-class team of designers, artists and engineers."

And so, the saga continues. Who wants to bet that the first game from Respawn Entertainment will feature some little Easter Egg that that involves a not-so-subtle jab at Activision…?

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MyWorstNightmar
MyWorstNightmar
14 years ago

Seems Activision was correct to think something was rotten in Denmark.

People have the right to seek employement where ever they choose. I just hope they weren't in some sort of breach of contract when talking to EA. That would just be a sleezy move.

rell
rell
14 years ago

EA is grabbing all the talented companies. Thats good EA is doing this too keep companies on there feets.

Nynja
Nynja
14 years ago

I agree.

btw – Feet is already plural. It does not require an "s".

I'll give myself a thumbs down for being an anal prick.

rell
rell
14 years ago

@Nynja my mistake lol.


Last edited by rell on 4/12/2010 5:01:28 PM

Nynja
Nynja
14 years ago

Yeah, on that note please don't refrain from pointing out any typos, grammatical, or spelling errors I make. Since I opened the can of worms…

Zorigo
Zorigo
14 years ago

and EA have a knack of publishing great games. Burnout and Mirror's Edge instantly spawn (respawn?) to mind.

I will look ou for the easter egg. it'd make us all laugh

Tim Speed24
Tim Speed24
14 years ago

This is great news…more excellent games on the way from two very talented people who know how to get the most out of a virtual experience.

Best of luck Respawn Entertainment!!

Rings0fUranus
Rings0fUranus
14 years ago

i wonder why the developers from infinity ward didn't follow their ex-bosses to EA. i'm sure they'd be compensated handsomely.

and when did game companies become so cut-throat? well, actually i guess nintendo kinda always was…

anyways, stick it to activision, respawn entertainment! make a new road rash! lol

Nickjcal
Nickjcal
14 years ago

Well i believe they have contracts. So i dont think you can just leave

Rings0fUranus
Rings0fUranus
14 years ago

ah, i see.

BlackBriar
BlackBriar
14 years ago

Ha! take that activision, You suck

Nynja
Nynja
14 years ago

"Who wants to bet that the first game from Respawn Entertainment will feature some little Easter Egg that that involves a not-so-subtle jab at Activision"

Even if it were a game where you just watched paint dry, I'd get it just to see the dig at Activision.

_______
_______
14 years ago

I think that if Zampella and West win their case EA's gonna be publishing Modern Warfare 3.

_______
_______
14 years ago

BTW Bad Company 3 will still be better

manofchao5
manofchao5
14 years ago

if ea publishes mw3 then we may actually see something new and better
but yet battlefield 3 will still be different but mw will be much better with ea

Nickjcal
Nickjcal
14 years ago

Ha activisons gnna go running around now looking for worlds class developers. Thats not very smart of the to fire the 2 guys that are the heart and sole of their money. But i've always loved EA games over Activison so im very happy to hear this

Jawknee
Jawknee
14 years ago

BUUUURRRRNNNNN!!!

calculator
calculator
14 years ago

I have a feeling that Activision will be pretty pissed about this….

BeezleDrop
BeezleDrop
14 years ago

Oh how the "mighty" have fallen.

mike rlz
mike rlz
14 years ago

maybe they had some sort of agreement in their contract that they would be with activision for a certain amount of time?

Jawknee
Jawknee
14 years ago

Activision fired them. they can't stop them from seeking employment elsewhere.

mike rlz
mike rlz
14 years ago

sure i'm saying when they cited that "mysterious" flight or whatever maybe it could have been classified as a breach of contract if they had one in place like that

Deathb4Dishonor
Deathb4Dishonor
14 years ago

Well i think EA would give them more liberty making their game,therefor making another game even better than their modern warfare franchise… Now EA has both the creators of modern warfare and bad company… Wonder what activision gonna do now, dumb move on their part firing them

ace_boon_coon
ace_boon_coon
14 years ago

wow. so EA will have bebc, MW, and MOH? holy s***

Gregory Freeman
Gregory Freeman
14 years ago

Not to mention Crysis, Half-life, L4D, etc…

Currently, EA doesn't have much competition in the FPS genre, because they own most of the franchises… Just like sports games… 2K is their only competition in that field.. EA is a powerhouse of a company now…

Its weird how they were once in the Spotlight for being an A-Hole company not that long ago…

(I still don't forgive them for what they did to Command And Conquer 4 >:(… they completely tarnished WestWood's dream.. I've been a C&C fan since I was a wee lad)

xnonsuchx
xnonsuchx
14 years ago

Well, EA just has publishing rights to all those, not IP rights to all of them. They could easily lose some of that within 2-5 years (depending on contract) if they don't keep their partner devs happy. Not trying to screw them like Mr. 'Kotex' @ Activision seems to like doing is a good start. 😉

Gregory Freeman
Gregory Freeman
14 years ago

I love their name they chose…

It's like they knew they were going to die, so they ran to EA, planted a Tactical Insertion, Took the bullet, and "Respawned" in EA's base…

Xplicit
Xplicit
14 years ago

EA > Activision

Best of luck to both EA and RE.

NeoHumpty
NeoHumpty
14 years ago

What a perfect name for a company that will most likely focus on FPS's. I'm not a huge fan of MW, but this could be promising. I'm sure they have the knowledge and a few tricks up their sleeves. Great news.

NeoHumpty
NeoHumpty
14 years ago

It would have been EPIC if they went with a ps3 only dev, though. Oh, well. I'd hate to see talent wasted.

LightShow
LightShow
14 years ago

Called it!

looks like activision did too, got pissed, and decided that filing a slew of lawsuits would scare them away from seeking employment at EA, or scare EA from seeking them for employment.

Scarecrow
Scarecrow
14 years ago

imo EA's garbage as well

BigT_1980
BigT_1980
14 years ago

Scarcrow can you elaborate on why EA is garbage. I understand that during the first year and a half that the PS3 came out they gave us some inferior ports of 360 games. EA admitted to their shortcomings and pledged to provide us with a comparable product to what they provide on the 360 and from what I have seen they have been keeping their promise. They have even had a couple of games that they have had the PS3 as the lead platform such as Burnout Paradise and Mirrors Edge. The only thing that EA has done that made me upset was when they bought exclusive rights to the NFL.

Jawknee
Jawknee
14 years ago

Yea I'm not a huge fan of EA but they are a way better company then Activision.

Wage SLAVES
Wage SLAVES
14 years ago

Damn, EA, Vince and Jason pulled a tactical insertion! All while delaying development on Mw3! They are on a creative Killstreak! Well played, well played.

Just mount a mass-exodus of Infinity Ward staff and it'll be the last of Acti…

AStiffyIffy
AStiffyIffy
14 years ago

Pretty much, Activision screwed itself over. They're going to be in for a real firefight with Respawn's first game.

shaydey77
shaydey77
14 years ago

Kinda sad how people continually fight over money…even sadder when such companies are already billionaires.

Darwin1967
Darwin1967
14 years ago

Easter eggs….oh what could it be…personally, I'd love for one of the bad guys to resemble a certain Bobby K….perhaps in the sniper level.

I hope Zampella/West prevail on their suit…that would be a most appropriate donkey punch to Activision's arrogance.

Alienange
Alienange
14 years ago

Well it takes more than two guys to make a billion dollar franchise. They would be wise to silently recruit their team away from Activision using some of EA's money.

First and foremost, go for the level designers. Those guys are fps multiplayer geniuses. Then swoop in and grab anyone who ever mentioned "leveling up."

When you think about it, this is pretty much an opportunity of a lifetime for anyone who designs games for a living. Damn… I wish my CV had more than "Eats nachos" on it.

www
www
14 years ago

Well my CV…….uuuuummmm….well…..my CV…….well its got "plays games a lot and goes out in the night to look for chics," hope I get hired 😉

Alienange
Alienange
14 years ago

Sorry, it's in San Francisco. You can't go out at night there.

Next!

Club80
Club80
14 years ago

I have a feeling that Activision is unfortunately on it's way out of business. It's such a shame, too. Bobby Kotick can rot in hell.

Has David Crane chimed in on any of this BS at Activision and IW? I'd love to hear his thoughts on how the company he co-founded is quickly going to shit.

Cesar_ser_4
Cesar_ser_4
14 years ago

probably be like wtf bob i went to play some rounds of golf for a sec and come back and half the income source is gone???….i dont know wtf im talking about i dont even know those guys hehehe or what they like doing…

Snaaaake
Snaaaake
14 years ago

Now I think EA is gonna join in the fight to help RE win the right to MW.

Expect things to get way even more extremely OMG nastier……..

Snaaaake
Snaaaake
14 years ago

Now I think EA is gonna join in the fight to help RE win the right to MW.

Expect things to get way even more extremely OMG nastier……..

Wage SLAVES
Wage SLAVES
14 years ago

Possibly, if they win they get to publish all MW titles. That is one of the things Vince and Jason are fighting for…

www
www
14 years ago

"Not surprisingly, given the current struggle, Respawn Entertainment emphasized that they will retain "full control of all intellectual properties it creates." "

Kotick has to realize you can't steal intellectual property with his so-called "fear".

Glory be to God the boys got a job again!

Snaaaake
Snaaaake
14 years ago

Now I think EA is gonna join in the fight to help RE win the right to MW.

Expect things to get way even more extremely OMG nastier……..

iGraves1
iGraves1
14 years ago

So I guess if they win their case we will be getting Medal Of Honor:Modern Warfare 3.

Although I would like to see what they can come up with, other than just another modern shooter.


Last edited by iGraves1 on 4/12/2010 8:09:06 PM

Cesar_ser_4
Cesar_ser_4
14 years ago

ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo do a cross over game between shooters mw2 vs….. i dont know…