EA’s Vince Zampella Talks Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Titanfall 3, and More

A lot is riding on this follow-up to 2019’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, a hit in its own right.

A few months ago,
Electronic Arts
(ticker: EA) shares fell significantly after the videogame publisher gave disappointing guidance, primarily due to a six-week delay of the Star Wars title. Since then, the shares have recovered on growing anticipation for the game.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor will be launched Friday on
Sony
‘s (SONY) PlayStation 5, Microsoft’s (MSFT) Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

After getting access to an early review copy of the game over the past week, I can say that Electronic Arts has the makings of another big hit. Flinging around stormtroopers and droids using “the Force” remains incredibly fun. And battling the many mini-boss villains with the newly polished lightsaber combat mechanics plays like a dream. It’s a finely executed sequel with better production values and a stronger narrative. Fans of the original will not be disappointed.

Barron’s Tech recently interviewed Electronic Arts senior gaming executive Vince Zampella, who oversaw the development of Jedi: Survivor, to discuss the game, the prospects for another Titanfall title, and his latest thoughts on the industry’s trends.

Zampella is one of the most successful game creators ever. He was responsible for creating several multibillion-dollar franchises—including the original Call of Duty and Modern Warfare—when he worked at Activision. Later, he started Respawn—a studio acquired by EA in 2017—where he produced another string of critically-acclaimed hits with Titanfall, Apex Legends, and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.

Here are edited highlights from our conversation with Zampella.

Barron’s: License-based movie games like Star Wars historically haven’t done well with the exception of Hogwarts Legacy earlier this year. How was Respawn able to be successful with the Star Wars: Jedi franchise?

Zampella: You take something like Star Wars, which has such a rich and deep history. We put an emphasis on what’s going to feel good and play well, along with having a great story.

We focus on the fun. The story is important, the universe is important, it has to be something that you identify with, that you love. But the gameplay is just as, if not more important, in interactive entertainment.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s story and narrative is more cinematic and deeper than most other videogames. Did you hire a particular type of writer?

We hire people that know the source material, love it, and enjoy being part of that. [Star Wars] is one of the biggest intellectual properties in the world. We get to not only play in that world, but add to it. It’s a dream come true for a lot of us.

Playing the game, I was struck by the graphics improvement, along with the better immersive details in the world environments. How much of a factor was focusing on the next-generation consoles and not having to make versions for the older consoles like PS4 and Xbox One?

That’s right. Being able to take advantage of the bigger [powerful] hardware. And also, a familiarity [with the game]. We’re doing a sequel, so we know what we did well in the last game and what we can improve on. The better hardware helps a lot.

You have been the general manager of a number of EA studios for years now. Can you give an update of how things are going at Respawn, DICE, and Ridgeline? On your strategy?

Things are going great. Apex [Legends] had a ton of competition last year. We weathered through that. This season did really well. We have another season coming out fairly soon. We’ve got stuff in development we’re not talking about. Some other Star Wars stuff too, which is exciting.

We’re turning around Battlefield 2042. Getting it to the place it needs to be. Looking toward the future of what Battlefield is going to bring. We’re not stamping widgets. We’re doing things that are exciting, new, and fresh.

There’s been a noticeable trend toward commercial success shifting to the larger, blockbuster AAA titles away from midsize games. Do you have an explanation for this?

I think people are being more diligent on where they spend their dollars. They tend to put it toward things that are more meaningful. You play probably the same amount of hours—if not more—but in less titles overall. The breakouts, the things that are amazing, still always come through.

And the last question I have to ask: Is there any future possibility for a Titanfall 3 game [Respawn’s original franchise]?

We’re not working on anything currently. I hate to say yes, then people latch onto that, and then skewer you when it doesn’t come. But I would love to see it happen is the real answer. There’s no exact dedicated plans for that.

It has to be the right thing. It’s such a beloved franchise for the fans and also for us. If it is not the right moment in time, the right idea, then it just doesn’t make sense.

Apex [Legends] is the Titanfall universe, right? There’s how do you do something that doesn’t confuse people that are Apex fans, but not necessarily Titanfall fans yet. It’s a hard question to answer, but ultimately I would love to see something.

Thanks for your time Vince.

This Week in Barron’s Tech

Write to Tae Kim at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @firstadopter