Respawn Entertainment and Electronic Arts alike have been very quiet regarding the former’s debut title. We’re now almost two years removed from the founding of Respawn and we still know almost nothing about the game aside from the fact that it will be a sci-fi shooter of some sort. With EA likely to release a new Medal of Honor later this year, it would make sense for Respawn’s game to come no sooner than 2013. That’s precisely what’s suggested in an alleged EA marketing calendar that points to a March 2013 release. Whether it comes then or sometime later, such a large project is very risky given the current state of the industry.
Heading up Respawn are Jason West and Vince Zampella, the former bosses of Infinity Ward. The two played a significant role in turning Call of Duty into the massive success it is today, but their involvement in a new game — even if we assume they won’t make a bad one — does not guarantee a commercial success. Games are not sold on the names of their creative leads, and the vast majority of Call of Duty fans are unlikely to know the names of either West or Zampella or the fact that they are no longer employed by Activision. The inevitable campaign pointing out how Respawn’s new game comes from many of the key people behind Call of Duty isn’t about to cause those fans to drop CoD in favor of the new title, particularly when post-West/Zampella CoD games have continued to deliver the experience they want.
