Key Takeaways
1. Vince Zampella attributes the creation of Call of Duty to conflicts with EA, leading to his departure and the founding of Infinity Ward.
2. Zampella’s work on Medal of Honor: Allied Assault influenced the development of Call of Duty, which has sold over 500 million copies globally.
3. After leaving EA, Zampella partnered with Activision to target Medal of Honor’s audience, shifting the military shooter landscape.
4. Zampella returned to EA in 2010 to establish Respawn Entertainment, creating successful titles like Titanfall, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and Apex Legends.
5. Under Zampella’s leadership, Battlefield 6 achieved significant success, selling over 6.5 million copies shortly after launch and surpassing player peaks of previous titles.
In a revealing discussion that showcased the tumultuous past of the Battlefield series, Vince Zampella, the current leader of the franchise, attributes the creation of the wildly successful Call of Duty franchise to a clash with his previous employer.
Zampella’s Bold Statements
In a recent chat with GQ magazine, Zampella held back nothing, declaring, “The only reason that Call of Duty exists is because EA were d.” This blunt comment underlines the tensions that led to the development of one of the biggest game franchises in history.
To clarify, Vince Zampella’s conflict with EA forced him to depart from the company and co-establish Infinity Ward in 2002. His departure was triggered by disagreements during his work on Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, a title inspired by the vision of Steven Spielberg. This project unintentionally paved the way for Call of Duty, which has since sold over 500 million copies globally.
A New Direction in Gaming
After leaving EA, Zampella teamed up with Activision to create Call of Duty, aiming it squarely at Medal of Honor’s audience, thereby changing the dynamics and direction of military shooters in the industry.
However, he made his way back to EA in 2010, setting up Respawn Entertainment, where he managed well-received games like Titanfall and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, along with the popular battle royale game, Apex Legends, which has drawn in hundreds of millions of players around the globe.
In 2021, EA appointed Zampella as the head of the Battlefield series, entrusting him with the task of rejuvenating the franchise following the disappointing launch of Battlefield 2042, which faced criticism for bugs, design issues, and limited content.
Battlefield’s Resurgence
Zampella has revived the Battlefield franchise, with Battlefield 6 achieving remarkable success. The game sold over 6.5 million copies within its first few days and reached an all-time peak of 747,000 concurrent players on Steam, surpassing Apex Legends’ peak of 624,473 and overshadowing Battlefield 2042’s peak of 107,376 players.
To illustrate, the launch of Battlefield 6 greatly outperformed its open beta, which, despite issues like unbalanced weapons and animation glitches, still attracted 521,079 concurrent players on Steam.
Under Vince Zampella’s guidance, the Battlefield franchise has returned to its former glory, reestablishing itself as the leading large-scale multiplayer shooter, reminiscent of its golden days with Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4.
GQ Magazine
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