FAQ: Vince Zampella

Who are you and what do you do?
I’m Vince Zampella, chief executive officer of Respawn Entertainment.

What are you working on right now?
Titanfall. It’s our first game as a studio.

What was the first video game or product that you ever worked on in the industry?
I worked at GameTek as QA, customer service and production person, so I worked on several games at once. A few of those titles were Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, The Rand McNally Children’s Atlas of Animals and Shadow Racer VR.

What was the first video game you ever played and did you enjoy it?
 It was probably Pong. That might sound like an obvious answer but it’s true.

What was the most recent video game you’ve played and did you enjoy it?
I’ve been playing Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag. I like pirates and I do a mean pirate accent.

What is your favourite game ever, and for what reason?
Donkey Kong, because it’s amazing.

How many hours a week do you spend playing video games?
Depends on who you ask. My wife says “too many,” my kids say “not enough,” and I say “as many as I can get away with”.

What area of the industry do you think needs more ‘investment’?
We need to pay attention to how we’re collectively growing and make sure we’re creating a positive image for the industry as we become more well known to consumers.

What do you enjoy about the video games industry today?
The fast-paced nature of development, it’s fun to be at the forefront of what’s going in the games industry.

What disappoints you about the video games industry today?
Sometimes the industry isn’t totally supportive of itself.

Of all the games you have worked on, which has been your favourite to work on?
Allied Assault was a fun project. It was about a small team busting our asses to get it done. There was great camaraderie.

What game that you were not involved with would you most liked to have worked on?
Donkey Kong. Again, because it’s amazing.

What other video games developer do you most admire?
I really like Bethesda Game Studios. They do enormous worlds that feel structured and well put together. That’s hard to do.

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