Zampella: You have to protect employees if you want them to invest

Vincent Zampella of Respawn entertainment, previously of Modern Warfare studio Infinity Ward, has told the 3D Gaming Summit that getting employees to invest in a project means making them feel that their work is worthwhile and protected.

Zampella wouldn't be drawn on the ongoing courtcase with Activision or his team's new project, but spoke on a number of other subjects, including creative control, reports Gamasutra.

"In my opinion, the deal we had - had it been honored - was a great deal," Zampella told his audience.

"But you need control. If you want people to be invested, you have to put something into it. It's an industry that demands that you put a lot of yourself into it; it's creative, it's driven by what you're going to put into it, the end product.

"So if you want people to be invested, who are putting their hearts and souls into it, they need to feel like it's protected, and what they do means something."

Zampella's comments are likely to refer to his experience with Infinity Ward and Activision, a bitter ending to which has resulted in a complex three-way legal tussle between Zampella, Respawn and Infinity Ward co-founder Jason West, Activision and EA, who are accused of 'tapping up' the pair of developers via illegal means.

That case is due to be heard in LA on May 7, 2012.