Big payday for the big mechs
Vince Zampella is back under the banner of a major publisher. The former Infinity Ward heads was infamously fired and sued by Activision in 2010 before forming Respawn Entertainment. After spending seven years as an independent studio, Respawn’s set to be a subsidiary of a major publisher.
As reported by VentureBeat, EA is going to purchase Respawn in a deal that could be worth $455 million. There is $151 million in cash, $164 million in restricted long-term stock grants, and up to $140 million in performance-based incentives. The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Accompanying this news is the revelation that Respawn seems to already be at work on three different projects for EA. The studio is currently developing a third installment in the Titanfallseries, some sort of Star Warsgame, and an unnamed VR experience. The first two are especially noteworthy. Titanfall 2was tremendously received last year despite poor sales which are widely pinned on the timing of the launch. And, it seems as if most major EA subsidiaries are going to be responsible for something Star Wars-related.
Zampella has this to say to people who are worried about what toll the acquisition might take on Respawn’s games. “My message is we are still Respawn and we are going to make things better. It doesn’t change the future of Titanfall. Only positives come from it, like more resources.”
[Correction:This article previously inferred that Respawn co-founder Jason West was involved in the transaction. West actually left Respawn in 2013.]
Electronic Arts to acquire Titanfall maker Respawn for as much as $455 million [VentureBeat]