In a lawsuit detailed last week, Activision accused ex-Infinity Ward bosses Jason West and Vince Zampella of trying to start their own development studio prior to their dismissal. Whether or not that turns out to be accurate, the pair has now formed a one, called it Respawn Entertainment and signed a publishing deal with Activision rival Electronic Arts. Meanwhile, production on "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3" may be getting delayed as a direct result of the legal disagreements between the the Respawn founders and their former corporate home.
"Respawn Entertainment marks a fresh start for Jason and me," Zampella said in a press release. "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."
Their new website Respawn.com currently has nothing more than a title and email address for prospective developers to use for job inquiries. Activision will undoubtedly look unfavorably upon this new development in their ongoing dispute, especially since court documents dissected over at Kotaku contain an Activision complaint that West and Zampella's actions are "delaying pre-production of 'Modern Warfare 3.'"
The Los Angeles Times compared the duo's new business venture to Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen forming DreamWorks Studios in 1994, a move that rocked Hollywood at the time. Comic book readers may prefer a comparison to Image Comics in 1992 when some of the highest profile creators in that industry walked away from Marvel Comics to establish a publishing home on their own terms.
Unsettled issues with Activision aside, as a gamer you have to appreciate their new studio name — though the prospect of the Modern Warfare franchise getting tied up in court for an prolonged, unknown period of time would be quite unfortunate.
What do you make of West And Zampella's latest move? How would you like to see this dispute end? Share your opinions in the comment section below.