Vince Zampella, the co-founder and current CEO of Respawn Entertainment, has a lot on his plate. The former Infinity Ward lead is taking over DICE LA and plans to rebrand the studio and develop a new game based on an original property, all the while continuing to run Respawn.
DICE LA has typically been viewed as an extension of sorts of DICE Stockholm, which is in no way inaccurate, something Zampella is actively looking to change. The LA-based developer will run independently of DICE Stockholm and even parent company EA, as far as they actually allow.
A main objective of the rebrand, according to Zampella, is to show both consumers and potential employees that DICE LA is its own studio, working on its own unique and exciting content. The studio definitely has the talent, with several developers coming from former EA studio Danger Close, which shut down in 2013. According to EA chief studios officer Laura Miele, the plan is to have Zampella take the Los Angeles-based studio from a support operation to a full-blown studio that produces its own products.
According to Zampella, with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order complete and released, he’s free to focus on the new studio and get them on track. One has to wonder though, with this new studio and apparently entirely new IP, is Zampella stretching himself too thin as he actively guides Respawn through their next big project as well?
There’s no question that Zampella is an absolute pro when it comes to game development, but everyone hits the point of diminishing returns. The likely scenario is that Zampella will be a source of ideas in a largely hands-off role. As stated previously, DICE LA is already in good hands with established veteran developers, so Zampella can likely count on them to run with his ideas and develop a solid project.
As for Respawn, they’re currently working on Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond for Oculus Rift, so it’s not like they don’t have their hands full. Assuming they’ve already nailed down a game plan for that project, Zampella can theoretically hop over to DICE and start things there.
Time will tell if he can guide two development studios to success, but if he manages his time and workload well, we can probably expect some pretty special things from whatever DICE LA turns out to be. Expect the rebranding to coincide with the reveal of their new game.
