A month into the dilemma between Activision and Infinity Ward founders Jason West and Vince Zampella, the two have announced they have formed a new company, and have also announced their exclusive publishing deal with EA Games, Activision’s rivals. Their new name?
Respawn Entertainment. Clever, eh?
Zampella said in a statement released with the announcement, "Respawn Entertainment marks a fresh start for Jason and me. 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."
Jason West also added, "We’re excited. 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."
Game brands treated as well as they deserve? Surely, Activision might know a thing about that or two.
It should be very exciting seeing what the new studio comes out with in the future, and hey, maybe the two will win their lawsuit, then the Call of Duty series will be treated correctly, and not spit out a new game in the series every year.
[Kotaku]
[...] will be interesting to see what major titles Gears 3 will be up against, especially given the recent near-demise of Infinity Ward and Modern Warfare [...]