A screenshot from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
According to a press release issued Monday morning, former Infinity Ward heads Jason West and Vince Zampella have opened a new studio called Respawn Entertainment and signed an exclusive worldwide publishing agreement with Electronic Arts.
The pair, who created the popular Call of Duty brand and headed up the development of last year's billion-dollar blockbuster Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 , have made headlines in the gaming industry over the last month due to an unexpected and controversial dismissal by former employer Activision.
In the press release Zampella, general manager of Respawn, states, "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."
West, president of the new company, added, "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."
While many players will be delighted to know that these talented game makers are back to making games, there is still some unfinished business with Activision in the form of a pair of lawsuits: One launched by Zampella and West seeking damages for wrongful termination and another filed by the publisher claiming that the duo failed to honour their employment agreements.
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