Jason West leaves Respawn - Report

Veteran Call of Duty designer and ex-Infinity Ward co-founder Jason West has reportedly left the studio he founded with colleague Vince Zampella following the pair's departure from Activision.

Both Kotaku and IGN are citing anonymous sources for the information regarding West's departure from Respawn Entertainment.

According to the reports, West has been absent from the studio since last May, an amicable departure that happened due to "family issues." Sources claimed West was not involved in the development of Respawn's current title, which could be on show at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in June, and which will be published by EA.

West and Zampella formed Respawn Entertainment in early 2010, following the pair's split from Infinity Ward and Activsion over claims of broken promises and an internal investigation, which eventually led to a lawsuit against Activision.

The case settled before going to trial in May last year.

[UPDATE]: Zampella confirmed West's departure on the Respawn blog today, saying:

"Jason has left Respawn to take care of some family issues. We have worked together on some amazing accomplishments over the years, starting with an early Segasoft project that never shipped. It is sad to see things come to an end, but there are times when change is best for growth, both personally and professionally. I wish Jason the best and send my best wishes to his family.

"Respawn continues to amaze me, the team here is resilient and talented. E3 will be therapeutic for us, as we finally get to start showing our work again. I know the team was excited about the response we got from just admitting we were going to attend."