Respawn Entertainment has went through some controversy, mainly the cancellation of Titanfall 3, EA's sole focus on Apex Legends and have it be the cash cow it is today, and the terrible reception that is Highguard, but this is something that I wasn't expecting at all today. And even after through the controversy, I still support and respect them.
Vince Zampella, the CEO of Respawn Entertainment, passed away yesterday, the news of his death being released today. It was honestly so shocking and unexpected that I didn't want to believe it at first. Both him and Jason West, former developers at Infinity Ward behind the legendary MW2 back in 2009, left Activision to form Respawn back in 2010, where they would eventually release Titanfall on March 11, 2014.
Though it was rocky and didn't play well after its first few weeks because people went back to FPS games they were still comfortable with (CoD, Battlefield, etc.), I still stuck with it, Titanfall cementing itself as one of, if not, my favorite(s) FPS series of all time. Then Titanfall 2 came out in 2016, and I instantly found and re-fell in love with FPS games as a whole, genuinely having some of the most fun I had in years.
And yes, the direction of Respawn Entertainment these years has been ambiguous and irritating with certain creative leads and developments, all that corporate talk and what not, this is still devastating to hear. The man responsible behind some of my most enjoyable memories of playing Titanfall 2 has passed.
Rest in peace, Vince Zampella, you were truly one of the goats for me.
"Stand by for Titanfall."
