Respawn Founder Vince Zampella Taking Over, Rebranding DICE LA Studio

Respawn Entertainment CEO Vince Zampella announced he would lead the Los Angeles division of Electronic Arts’ DICE game studio.

Respawn Entertainment co-founder and CEO Vince Zampella has announced he will now lead the Los Angeles division of Electronic Arts’ DICE game studio, DICE LA, adding that the studio will likely rebrand to give itself a fresh start.

Zampella is well known for Respawn’s work on titles like Apex Legends and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. In addition, he has also contributed to the creation of games like Titanfall, Call of Duty, and Medal of Honor.

“We want to give [DICE LA] a new image,” Zampella said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. “We want people to say, ‘This is a destination you can go and make new content.’ I think [DICE LA has] kind of gotten the branding that they are the support studio for DICE Stockholm. I think rebranding is important for showing people, ‘Hey! Come work here. We’re going to do some amazing things.’”

Sweden-based developer DICE is most well known for games like Mirror’s Edge, along with the Battlefield and Star Wars: Battlefront series. The Los Angeles studio will be separate from DICE Stockholm, and also from Respawn Entertainment, which EA acquired in December of 2017. Zampella states that there will be interaction so both can learn from each other, but the studios will produce their own games.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order will continue to be led by Stig Asmussen, and Apex Legends will keep Chad Grenier at the reigns. Virtual reality title Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond will be headed up by Peter Hirschmann.

Zampello noted that he doesn’t think Electronic Arts’ acquisition of Respawn Entertainment meant giving up his independence. Instead, it has given his “smaller studio” greater resources to help shape the future.

“The industry is changing, and we have the chance to be at the forefront of that,” Zampella said. “Being able to take on new challenges, like DICE L.A. falling under me now, is exciting. I want to challenge myself. I want to do something bigger.”