The men behind Modern Warfare 2, Jason West and Vince Zampella, have announced the formation of a brand new studio, and are partnering up with Activision arch rival publisher EA. It’s not clear where that leaves Modern Warfare 3, but the pair are on the hunt for a new team, and promise “state-of-the-art” games to come.
We knew that the former of president and CEO of Modern Warfare 2 developer Infinity Ward, West and Zampella, were involved in a legal tussle and rumoured to be jumping ship, but now it’s official. The pair have announced that they’re forming a new studio, Respawn Entertainment, which will work with EA on its Partners Program to distribute the new games, meaning it remains independent and owns its own intellectual porperty. EA and Infinity Ward publisher Activision are huge rivals, and since Modern Warfare 2′s launch late last year was the biggest for any game ever, it’s a huge coup for the publisher.
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Respawn Entertainment’s website only shows an email address for job applications, and West and Zampella are currently assembling a new team of designers and developers for the studio. The official announcement also makes no mention of what will happen to a potential Modern Warfare 3, but you can expect things to turn messy as the pair dispute with Activision over who owns the rights to the smash hit series.
What the pair does promise though is a “state-of-the-art gaming” experience. Whether or not that’ll be under any Modern Warfare name remains to be seen. Stay tuned, as things are about to get much, much messier.
