Respawn Founder Wants More Crossover Between Facebook And Console Games

It's been well over a year since Infinity Ward founders Jason West and Vince Zampella left the Call of Duty developer to form Respawn Entertainment. The studio still isn't ready to talk about its first project, but at least one of the founders seems interested in tying hardcore games to lighter Facebook fare.

IGN has an exclusive interview with West and Zampella which mostly contains unsurprising info that we've already heard. The team isn't going to reveal its new IP until next year, and the studio has settled in at a small but healthy size of 55 employees, from which they plan to expand slowly and carefully.

More interestingly, at the end of the interview they got onto the subject of social and Facebook gaming, and Zampella had some curious thoughts:

"I think for the most part, the Facebook gamers aren't going to go directly from something like Farmville to a game that's a full-on 3D shooter experience on the console. I think there probably is some crossover, and to me I'd like to see more crossover in that…even if it's secondary gaming, something where you can play on a Facebook or a smart device and be connected to a game in a way that ties you in and lets you be part of your friend's experience without forcing you to directly play the same way that he does."

For West's part, he stated that Facebook and console games are "pretty distinct animals," suggesting that the best aspect of social games could be introducing gamers to the IP and "stair step[ping] you to the main game." Obviously this is far from Respawn confirming any sort of social network compatibility with whatever its upcoming game is, but it's interesting to note that these two industry hotshots are at least thinking about the topic.