vince zampella
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EA is going 'all-in on Battlefield' with plans for a connected universe
Respawn's Vince Zampella, who produced the original 'Call of Duty,' is now overseeing the franchise.
Respawn Entertainment's Vince Zampella is taking over DICE LA
DICE, the Swedish studio known for the Battlefield, Mirror's Edge and Star Wars: Battlefront game series, will be getting some impressive talent to start its new Los Angeles-based office. Vince Zampella, co-founder of renowned studio Respawn Entertainment, will be heading the new DICE LA studio.
Respawn co-founder Zampella jumpstarts new mobile game studio
Vince Zampella, co-creator of the Call of Duty series and co-founder of Titanfall developer Respawn Entertainment, has partnered with slot machine industry veteran Larry Pacey to form a new mobile game studio, VentureBeat reports. The pair's new Los Angeles-based company, Nuclear Division, currently employs less than a dozen people, but has the potential to expand to around 50 employees, Pacey estimates. Zampella initially planned to introduce mobile game development at Respawn, but decided to split off into a separate venture so that the Titanfall studio could continue to focus on console games. Zampella assured VentureBeat that he has no plans to abandon console development, and hopes that his new venture will benefit Respawn. "I would apply learnings from this back to Respawn, and I think that would help future-proof both of these companies," he said. [Image: Nuclear Division]
Respawn CEO: 'We are talking to Aspyr' about Titanfall on Mac
The giant, stompy robots and diminutive, squishy pilots of Titanfall may find a new battlefield on Apple's OS X. Vince Zampella, CEO and co-founder of Titanfall developer Respawn Entertainment, was asked point-blank if the hit shooter would appear on Macs. "We are talking to Aspyr," Zampella tweeted, adding, "they should do it." Aspyr is a company that specializes in porting PC games to the Mac. Its most recent efforts include BioShock Infinite and Borderlands 2. Mac gamers should be pleased by this news, but shouldn't get their hopes up just yet. Zampella's tweet is far from a confirmation that the game is coming to Mac, and even if things pan out that way, it will take a while for Aspyr to bring Titanfall to Apple's hardware. Aspyr's Borderlands 2 port appeared four months after its PC incarnation, while BioShock Infinite lagged behind its counterpart by half a year. [Image: Respawn Entertainment]
Early Titanfall players won't be banned; preload now available on Origin
Those fortunate enough to score a pre-release copy of Titanfall can enjoy the game without fear of retaliation from Microsoft or developer Respawn Entertainment. This unexpectedly permissive news comes courtesy of no less a source than Respawn co-founder Vince Zampella. "About playing early: We won't stop or ban legit copies," Zampella tweeted, before warning early players that the pre-release gameplay experience may not be flawless. "It is prelaunch, so there may be interruptions in service as we prep servers," he added. On a related note, those who pre-ordered the PC incarnation of Titanfall from EA's digital distribution service Origin can now begin pulling down the game's necessary files. As with all preloading schemes, you won't actually be able to play Titanfall until its official, March 11 debut, but hopefully that wait provides enough time to download all 50GB of Respawn's giant robot shooter. [Image: Respawn Entertainment]
Titanfall devs cite proper balance for 12-player limit
When the giant mechanized suits of Titanfall touch down in March, its battlefields will be populated by a maximum of 12 combatants, according to Vince Zampella, founder of Respawn Entertainment. Zampella was asked point-blank how many players the game will support in a single match. "6v6 is max player count," he replied. "Turned out to be the best balance with AI for us." Following Zampella's tweet, prospective Titanfall players reacted negatively, throwing around descriptors that we'd rather not republish on a family website. In response, a Respawn Entertainment employee calling his or herself "DKo5" took to the NeoGAF forums to offer a more comprehensive explanation of why Titanfall is limited to six-on-six skirmishes. "[W]e tried a huge amount of playercounts (all the way down to 1v1 and up quite high) and designed the maps, gameplay mechanics, and entire experience around which played best," DKo5 wrote. "And FYI, for amount of stuff happening at once in a map you'll be hard pressed to find a game that keeps the action higher. I literally have to stop playing every few rounds because my heart just can't take it some times. Remember, you can get out of your Titan and let it roam on AI mode - meaning there can be 12 Pilots wallrunning around, 12 Titans stomping below, and dozens of AI doing their thing." Finally, DKo5 addresses player speculation over what Zampella meant with his mention of AI: "Oh, and I keep seeing people thinking we've got 'bots' when we talk about AI. Thats not how they are. The AI in Titanfall are not replacements for human players. Our playercount is not 6v6 because of AI - AI play their own role in the game and are a different class of character in the game."
No mods for Titanfall on PC, studio to 'evaluate' after launch
Titanfall on PC will not support mods or offer any map editor tools to players at launch. Respawn Entertainment co-founder Vince Zampella confirmed as much on Twitter, though he did say that the studio "will have to evaluate after launch." Former Infinity Ward heads Jason West and Vince Zampella were dismissed by Activision in early 2010, spurring a lengthy legal battle between the duo and publisher. The two would quickly go on to form Respawn Entertainment, partner up with EA and begin work on Titanfall. Titanfall launches on March 11, 2014, exclusively for the Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC. While Titanfall will remain exclusive to these platforms throughout the lifetime of the game, Respawn has said it plans to develop games for PS4 down the line.
Respawn Entertainment trademarks 'Titan'
We may know a tiny, tiny bit more about the first game from Respawn Entertainment, the company formed by Jason West and Vince Zampella after the duo's famous firing from Infinity Ward and Activision. The studio has trademarked the word "Titan" for use in video games. Beyond this single word, presumably a title, all we've had to go on is a pair of blurry screenshots and one very close-up image of what appear to be a mouse and gun barrel.Given Zampella and West's involvement with Call of Duty – though West is no longer with the studio – it wouldn't be too surprising if the game ended up being a shooter. Whatever it is, Respawn and publisher Electronic Arts should finally be showing it off at E3 this summer.One cheeky note regarding Titan: That's also reportedly the code name for Blizzard's next MMO, a game belonging to Activision.
Respawn Entertainment teases E3 appearance this year
Respawn Entertainment (which came from the disunion between Activision and the former heads of Infinity Ward) promised us last year that the company would not debut its first game at E3. Though we may see a glimpse before the show, Respawn's co-founder Vince Zampella has tweeted that, "Yes, we will finally be at E3," presumably not just to enjoy the sometimes smelly confines of the Los Angeles Convention Center again.So far, all we've seen of Respawn's secret title is a company logo and the blurry screenshot above, but if Respawn is headed to LA in June for the show, they'll likely be bringing some game info along. As Zampella added, "I have no intention of showing up empty handed!"
Kotick on why firing West, Zampella was easy, turning down a CoD film
Activision CEO Bobby Kotick settled a lawsuit with former employees Jason West and Vince Zampella, both now of Respawn Entertainment, in May. Kotick fired West and Zampella in 2010, after learning they were going to bail on their contracts to sign under EA, Kotick said, and from there, his job was easy:"You find out two executives are planning to break their contracts, keep the money you gave them and steal 40 employees. What do you do? You fire them," Kotick told The New York Times in an extensive profile. West and Zampella sued Activision for royalties they said they never received from Modern Warfare 2, and though the terms of the settlement were never disclosed, the case's conclusion had West smiling.Kotick's NYT profile extended from his high school years, when he would pick up friends in a chauffeured limo to visit Studio 54, to his time in college and to the present, when he fended off offers from Hollywood to turn Call of Duty into a high-budget film. Kotick said movies based on games rarely do well with fans and could blemish the Call of Duty brand.He might be on to something there.
Report: Activision may have paid 'tens of millions' to West, Zampella
When ex-Infinity Ward employees Jason West and Vince Zampella settled their lawsuit with Activision, it was sudden, shocking, and most of all, secret. Activision paid out an undisclosed sum to West and Zampella just before a full trial was set to begin, and while it is expected the exact amount may never be made public, experts can still make an educated guess.Financial analyst Doug Creutz of Cowen and Company posits that the settlement was worth "tens of millions," Gamespot reports. Considering Activision paid out $42 million to the Infinity Ward Employee Group as part of a separate lawsuit, and West and Zampella were seeking $1 billion when the case reached its bitter peak, this ballpark figure checks out.Activision will report earnings on Thursday, August 2, and Creutz says he expects investors will ignore the impact of the settlement on Activision's bottom line.
West, Zampella settle with Activision in Infinity Ward lawsuit [Update: Acti, Respawn, EA comment]
Ex-Infinity Ward employees Jason West and Vince Zampella have settled their lawsuit with Activision. "All parties have reached a settlement in the dispute, the terms of which are strictly confidential," the LA Times' Ben Fritz reports.West and Zampella sued Activision in 2010, after Activision fired them and before they could collect all the promised royalties from the launch of Modern Warfare 2, they claimed. Activision paid $42 million to the Infinity Ward Employee Group -- which includes 38 current and former IW employees -- in May, as part of a separate lawsuit. The payment wasn't a settlement, but was part of Activision's own investigation for its counter-suit against West and Zampella, filed with their new publisher, EA, as a defendant.EA and Activision settled their suit in May, while West and Zampella's claim rose to $1 billion. Claims in all three lawsuits are now dismissed.There is no word yet on the terms of the settlement, and they may not ever be revealed, Fritz says, although this observation from the court room may provide a bit of insight into the final outcome: "Jason West is in court and smiling."Update: Respawn Entertainment issued the following statement: "All parties to the litigation have reached a settlement of the dispute, the terms of which are strictly confidential."Update 2: Activision issued a statement as well: "Activision Blizzard, Inc. (ATVI) today announced that all parties to the litigation have reached a settlement of the dispute, the terms of which are strictly confidential."The company does not believe that the incremental one-time charges related to the settlement will result in a material impact on its GAAP or non-GAAP earnings per share outlook for the current quarter or the calendar year, due to stronger-than-expected operating performance in the current quarter."Update 3: Not to be forgotten, EA has chimed in, too: "Activision's refusal to pay their talent and attempt to blame EA were absurd. This settlement is a vindication of Vince and Jason, and the right of creative artists to collect the rewards due for their hard work."
Activision paid Infinity Ward over $493 million in bonuses since 2003
Hard numbers are starting to come out of the Activision v. Infinity Ward case as things continue to ramp up towards the actual trial, which is currently slated to take place next month. Specifically, Activision revealed during a hearing last Friday that it has paid out in excess of $493 million in bonuses to Infinity Ward, a figure that includes the $42 million payout that occurred earlier this month, according to Polygon.That $439 million encompasses all bonuses paid out to Infinity Ward since the original Call of Duty launched in 2003. To date, IW has been granted bonuses for games it was directly involved with as a studio, as well as games that used its tech and the Call of Duty IP, like the Treyarch-developed Call of Duty: World at War.Attorneys for former IW heads Vince Zampella and Jason West argued that the ex-Infinity Ward employee group is also owed its share of "launch quarter" bonuses from the release of Black Ops and Modern Warfare 3, a point that Activision obviously disagrees with.
West and Zampella on Activision lawsuit and 'Project Icebreaker'
Jason West and Vince Zampella have lived with their impending lawsuits from (and against) Activision to be bemused about the whole thing. "[Activision] said, 'He orchestrated his own firing' - I will never forget that," said West in a Game Informer interview, prompting Zampella to add "We're geniuses, apparently."According to the pair's attorney Robert Schwartz, Activision's claim against them stems around an "expert's" determination that Modern Warfare 3 would have been a bigger moneymaker had they and the rest of the now-absent Infinity Ward team been present to work on it; instead of having been fired by Activision (a state that the two allegedly 'orchestrated'.)Schwartz corroborated reports of a "Project Icebreaker" at Activision designed to secretly scour their computers for evidence that would support a firing. "Do you know who George Rose is? He was the head lawyer for [Activision]," Schwartz said."So George Rose goes into the office of this guy named Thomas Fenady. He's some kind of IT whiz at Activision." According to Schwartz, Rose asked Fenady, under the auspices of CEO Bobby Kotick, to "break into [West and Zampella's] computers and dig up dirt to be used to justify firing them." Schwartz added that Fenady "testified to this."We'll have to wait to see how this insanity plays out in court; the trial was delayed to around June 1.
Activision v. Infinity Ward court date delayed
Former Activision employees and Infinity Ward founders Jason West and Vincent Zampella are taking Activision to court on May 29, after a few years of legal back-and-forth negotiations and counter-suits from Activision. The date was initially set for May 7, but was pushed back at Activision's request.West and Zampella claim Activision owes them $125 million in unpaid royalties, and they seek the rights to the Modern Warfare brand.Activision's counter-suit is free to move forward as well, where Activision is asking for $400 million from EA, claiming EA stole its employees and that West and Zampella were consorting secretly with the competitor while still Activision employees.Zampella and West were fired from Activision in 2010 on the grounds of these supposed secret meetings. They soon after founded Respawn Entertainment and now have 40 former Infinity Ward employees in their ranks.
Infinity Ward's day in court: May 7, 2012
Former Infinity Ward bossmen Jason West and Vincent Zampella have an official court date of May 7, 2012 to settle their dispute with Activision. West and Zampella seek $125 million in unpaid royalties from Modern Warfare 2 sales and wish to reclaim their contractual rights to the Modern Warfare brand. Activision fired both developers in March 2010 for illegally consorting with EA, and has counter-sued West, Zampella and EA for $400 million, claiming EA hijacked its employees. Since The Firings, West and Zampella founded Respawn Entertainment and now have 40 former Infinity Ward employees working at the studio, which is creating an unannounced, blurry IP. Activision's suit is clear to proceed, but doesn't yet have a date -- considering how long this first case could drag on, we guess it'll go to court around January 2068.
Here's the first (very blurry) image of Respawn Entertainment's unannounced game
Interested in seeing what's next from the duo who headed development on the majority of Call of Duty games? So are we. Unfortunately, all we've got is this very blurry image seen on Respawn Entertainment's newly launched website. Perhaps the unannounced project is being developed in Unreal Engine 3, and the textures simply haven't popped in yet? Beyond the screen is a star-studded developer page, full of many CoD dev veterans, as well as a handful of other impressive credentials (Pilotwings 64!). There's a forums section as well, presumably where the team will be dropping clues about that unannounced game they're working on for EA. Finally, a news section highlights the cursory details made available about the controversy-embroiled studio thus far, and shows off the group's new digs, blurred computer monitors and all. Feel free to dig around and let us know if you find any tantalizing nuggets. Update: A second, much clearer though somehow even less distinct image is used on the company's front page. It's a background for a link to the forum topic discussing Respawn's next game, and we've dropped it after the break.
Infinity Ward suit against Activision going to trial
After languishing in the legal system for over a year, the lawsuit filed against Activision by Infinity Ward founders Vincent Zampella and Jason West appears to be moving forward, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The publication reports that a Los Angeles judge has ruled that Zampella and West's claims against Activision have merit -- complaints of unpaid royalties among others -- meaning the suit should finally be going to court. The news comes months after a judge allowed Activision's countersuit to move forward as well. Both sides of the suit are seeking significant damages. Appropriately enough, with both sides cleared to proceed, it looks like it's finally time for Activision and the former Call of Duty developers to go to war.
Pachter: West, Zampella have no chance of getting Modern Warfare rights
In addition to being the official economic soothsayer of the gaming industry, Michael Pachter knows a thing or two about legal affairs. Actually, he has a pair of law degrees, so odds are good that he knows more than two things. Regardless, he recently sounded off to IndustryGamers about former Infinity Ward heads Jason West and Vince Zampella's chances of gaining ownership of the Modern Warfare brand form Activision through legal action. His opinion? They've got "no prayer." Pachter suggested that any claim the two may have had on the brand was lost when their employment was terminated, saying, "They have never claimed that they 'own' the brand; instead, they claim that they were granted creative control over the brand under their employment agreement." Pachter added that a theoretical solution for West and Zampella would be to seek reemployment (yeah right) under a wrongful termination claim, though he noted, "That is simply not what West and Zampella are seeking here."
Former Infinity Ward heads seek to void original contract with Activision
The complex and claim-ridden story of Activision and Infinity Ward won't get any legal clarification for some time still, but that doesn't stop former IW heads Jason West and Vince Zampella from trying to annul their original contract with Activision. According to a GameSpot report, an amended complaint filed by the duo late last week alleges that Activision began development of "Modern Warfare and Call of Duty games and related products" without the express consent of the two men, and seeks to void the original contract they signed with Activision -- a move that would put at least partial control over the Modern Warfare brand back in the hands of West and Zampella. "Activision did not inform West or Zampella of such plans or seek their input or approval for them. Indeed, while breaching the creative authority provisions of the MOU [Memorandum of Understanding], Activision continued to pay lip-service to them, in an attempt to mask its secret development efforts," the updated complaint reads. Furthermore, the aforementioned MOU was allegedly signed by West and Zampella with pressure from Vivendi's merger with Activision weighing on it, which West and Zampella say helped them land an agreement (detailed by the MOU) that kept them in control of the Modern Warfare brand. The MOU, however, contained one passage that the ex-IW heads "remained skeptical" of, where the agreement would only continue as long as the two remained employed at the company. It's claimed that Activision CEO Bobby Kotick responded to this concern by saying, "Don't worry about it. It's impossible for you guys to get fired."
