The (extremely) new company has already signed on to work with EA Games, though no word yet on what the project will be. All that’s known is Respawn Entertainment will be maintaining full creative control over whatever property they put together for EA.
Gaming research analyst Michael Pachter has weighed in on the subject, according to Joystiq, saying:
Some argue that the casual gamer is too uninformed or uninterested in developer politics and upheaval to radically change Modern Warfare’s future sales, whereas others have cited Medal of Honor, another game Zampella and West worked on, as an instance of a game losing significant sales due to a creative team change affecting the quality of the game. When players expect one thing and are given another, the results are rarely positive.
Certainly pre-schism Infinity Ward was responsible for upping the first-person shooter game’s game, so to speak. Their innovative approach to perks has redefined the nature of the multiplayer experience. If they continue to maintain that level of ingenuity at Respawn, gamers will surely be drawn away from what is now but the pale ghost of a franchise, the hollowed out shell of something great.
Guess whose side of this I’m on.
Activision has said they’re looking to take Modern Warfare in a number of different directions, including an action/adventure game helmed by the creators of Dead Space. If this seems desperate and odd to you, well, I would agree. And as much as I’m hoping Respawn can take some of the wind out of Activision’s sales by providing a Call of Duty alternative, I’m more interested in seeing what’s next from Zampella, West and co. rather than seeing them recreate their past successes, just under a different title.
Sources: G4, Kotaku, Joystiq
