The latest Modern Warfare game is coming out this fall. The game designers who spearheaded Call of Duty's move from World War II to modern combat left long ago to work on a new title at new studio.
Back in spring 2010, Infinity Ward co-founders Vince Zampella and Jason West ran into a spat with Activision that resulted in Zampella and West leaving Infinity Ward. Nearly half of the studio followed suit. From the ashes of Infinity Ward a new independent studio was created: Respawn Entertainment.
"We've kind of been underground a little bit by design because we don't have that much exciting to talk about," Zampella said recently at the 3D Entertainment Summit in Los Angeles. "But we are getting there."
According to Zampella, that's why they relaunched the Respawn Entertainment website. That website offers a blurry first look at the upcoming multi-platform title Electronic Arts is funding and publishing. Respawn owns the IP.
The blurry image first appeared online this summer.
The website's forums were launched, too, giving the developers an opportunity to interact with players. As with more game developer websites, the forums will be used to talk to players about what they like and don't like about Respawn games.
The studio is now sixty employees strong. The studio's website is doing a regular feature that introduces Respawn staffers. It's worth a look.
"We're at the point where we are locked into an idea," said Zampella. "We have office space and chairs and computers, which we didn't have at the start."
"There was a month where we were just sitting around in folding chairs in an empty office building, glass on the ground around us," he continued. "It was fun it was kind of a reenergizing deal and kind of get back to your roots and what is important and what can we do."
Respawn Entertainment is starting over—starting from scratch. Making games takes time. Whatever Respawn is working on will take just that: time. From what Zampella said, it sounded like the studio is on its way—getting there.
Meanwhile, the legal brouhaha between Activision and the Infinity Ward co-founders rages on.
Interview: Respawn Entertainment's Vince Zampella [USA Today]
(Top photo: Respawn Entertainment)
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