Ever since Jason West and Vince Zampella were fired last month by Activision everyone has been wondering what they were going to do next. They began by filing a countersuit against Activision in order to get paid their royalty from Modern Warfare 2 and then signed with Creative Artists Agency, but now finally they announced their plans for the more distant future: the creation of a new studio.
West and Zampella have now formed Respawn Studios, based out of Encino, California. Their first announcement was that they will own all of the IP that they create, which should prevent any of the trouble they ran into with MW2 at Activision.
And in what almost seems like a huge middle finger to Activision, Respawn Studios will be working exclusively with EA Partners. EA will handle the worldwide publishing and distribution for the games that Respawn creates.
“Respawn Entertainment marks a fresh start for Jason and me,” said Vince Zampella, whose new title is now 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."
EA is excited to have West and Zampella working with them. 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.”
Stay tuned for more details when they become available.
Looking for games? You can fulfill all your gaming needs at any of these stores around Anoka County.
[UPDATE 12:32 p.m. CST]
Activision is not surprised that West and Zampella signed with EA and they say you shouldn't be either.
An Activision representative told IGN, "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."
Comments
its called respawn entertainment. respawn studios was formed in 2008 and makes cartoon video games.
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