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What's (Re)spawning At E3
Ex-Infinity Ward heads Jason West and Vince Zampella were rumored to be prepping an E3 announcement for their newly formed studio, Respawn Entertainment. What would it have been, if the original source wasn't totally fake? We've got some ideas, both reasonable and terrible.
Talent Acquisition: Given the short timeframe since the formation of Respawn, the most likely announcement is a celebration of the talent at the studio. Maybe they signed a big-name movie director with an interest in gaming to take their cinematography to the next level. Maybe they're combining forces with another studio for their first project. Maybe they got another high-profile defection from another troubled developer. This would be typical of announcements at this point in a company and title's lifecycle.
Odds: 3:1
Leaving the Comfort Zone: The creative talent at Respawn has gotten antsy after doing more than a couple games in the same setting. One way to get buzz going without having to show nonexistent in-game assets would be to announce a shift away from modern military action into a new realm. Halo doesn't look like the juggernaut it once was with Bungie off the case after Reach...could Respawn be looking to take a shot at the sci-fi space? West and Zampella spoke at length about the additional freedom in creating scenarios and gameplay gained by switching eras in the run-up to Modern Warfare. As cool as Soap's toys are, we still have to give the edge to Master Chief in the loadout department.
Odds: 8:1
Taking Over an EA Property
: In the not-too-distant past, EA had a habit of buying independent developers and their intellectual property, then disbanding those teams and reforming them in a manner more compliant with EA's development structure. Westwood and Command & Conquer, Bullfrog and Populous, Origin Systems and Ultima – they all met the same fate, which EA CEO John Riccitiello famously admitted to being a huge blunder at the annual DICE conference in 2008. The company is sitting on a lot of revered franchises that have been dormant for years. Who better to reboot one of them than a talented group on the rebound? Command & Conquer: Tiberium was a sweet-looking action-packed sci-fi title before it got cancelled, after all...
Then again, it would be out of character for the Respawn team to want to take on someone else's property. However, who is to say that Zampella isn't a closet Ultima fan?
Odds: 25:1
New Business Model: We could write the press release for this one ourselves:
Paying for games is so passé. When you download Heroes of War, the newly announced free console MMOFPS from Respawn, you get access to everything from character customization to a stunningly produced tutorial set in a special forces live-fire range. Do you hate being charged $60 for a twelve-hour game? Heroes of War is free forever.*
* Certain features require payment in easy-to-use Microsoft Points or through the PlayStation Store. These include but are not limited to:
- EA Partners Online Pass ($10, 800 MSP): In order to offer the very best online service and hosting, access to this premier multiplayer gaming destination costs just $10.
- Split-Screen Pass ($5, 400 MSP): Extend your game's functionality by allowing your buddy on the couch to get into the game with you. Show him who the real F.N.G. is when he tries to beat your time on the special forces range.
- Double Damage Pass ($5, 400 MSP, requires the EA Partners Online Pass and the Split-Screen Pass): How better to dominate the competition than to bring a friend to watch your back? With this exciting item, two people can connect online from a single console!
- Heroic Map Pack ($10, 400 MSP): Three amazing maps from the talented designers behind the most popular first-person shooters ever, the Heroic Map Pack is perfect for anyone who wants to take Heroes of War off of the live fire range and onto the battlefield.
- Shock & Awe ($10, 800 MSP): Tired of giving back the weaponry to the quartermaster after the live-fire exercise? Upgrade from your combat knife to an arsenal of the finest in modern military hardware with Shock & Awe.
- Peace & Quiet ($20, 1600 MSP): Our advanced matchmaking system does its best, but you'll inevitably come across a middle-schooler with the vocabulary of a syphilitic buccaneer. Using our unmatched networking software, the Peace & Quiet add-on gives you complete control over your voicecomm channel.
Over/under on average cost for genre-standard features: $90
Collier of Duty: Remember when there were three guys at the top of the Infinity Ward pyramid? Unravel the mysterious disappearance of long-lost business partner Grant Collier following his famous "We're going to go deep, and we're going to go hard" pronouncement at E3 2007 in this pulse-pounding first-person shooter. Travel the globe in the shoes of multiple special operatives, tracking leads like a shady underground nightclub owner in downtown LA and a New York sports car dealer with ties to a dark past. When all the signs point toward Russian ultranationalists, though, everything goes sideways. Do you have what it takes to answer the Collier of Duty?
pictured: Grant Collier, MIA since CoD 4: Modern Warfare
Odds: Classified
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