Vince Zampella, one of the studio heads of Respawn Entertainment, says his team will “be” at E3 this year, presumably showing off whatever kind of game you make next after you make Call of Duty the biggest thing going.
We scoff at most announcements of announcements, but this is a special one. After all, one of the most successful groups of game developers of all time is returning to the public eye after a three-year absence.
Zampella and Respawn’s other boss Jason West worked on EA’s once-popular Medal of Honor military shooter series before founding Infinity Ward and turning Call of Duty into a juggernaut for rival Activision. Remember Call of Duty II back at the launch of the Xbox 360? That was them. Remember Call of Duty IV: Modern Warfare and its now industry-standard unlock-based multiplayer system? Them too. Remember that “No Russian” level in 2009’s Modern Warfare 2? Them.
Zampella and West were fired from Activision in the spring of 2010, as allegations flew in both directions. Activision claimed the duo were insubordinate and plotting to jump to EA. Employees at Infinity Ward complained that Activision was holding out on payments. Most of Infinity Ward left to support Zampella and West, taking jobs at the pair’s newly formed studio, Respawn. That studio inked a deal with EA for their first game but next to nothing has been heard from Respawn since. All parties have settled their lawsuits since then, leaving the game developers to focus on making games.
What in the world has Respawn been working on for the last three years? Probably a shooter, but you never know. Looks like we’ll find out by E3, which happens on the week of June 10. The image up top? It’s a blurry hint at what Respawn might have been working on back in late 2011. Things should come into focus more clearly soon.
I’ve reached out to Zampella for clarification on what Respawn might have cooking for E3.
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