There’s something kind of surreal about how big ideas come together in the gaming industry. Sometimes it’s years of planning. Other times, it’s a random phone call in the middle of the night that ends up shaping a major Star Wars project.
That’s exactly what happened with Star Wars Zero Company, a strategy game that exists today because of a single unexpected conversation with Vince Zampella.
Zampella, the legendary developer behind Call of Duty and co-founder of Respawn Entertainment, left a massive mark on the gaming world before his passing in 2025. Now, we’re learning that his influence stretches even further than expected, reaching into this upcoming tactical Star Wars title.
The story starts with Gregory Foertsch, a longtime veteran of Firaxis who spent over two decades helping shape strategy games, including the modern XCOM titles. After stepping away from the studio, he knew he wasn’t done with the genre, but he didn’t have a concrete plan yet.
Then came the call.
“I’m sitting in my office with the lights out and my computer on, my wife’s asleep, my kids are asleep, and the phone rings,” Foertsch told PC Gamer:
“It’s this number that I don’t recognize. For some reason I answered it, and the voice on the other end said, ‘Hey, Greg, this is Vince Zampella. I heard you have a game you want to make. Can you tell me about it?'”
That moment feels like something straight out of a movie. One of the most influential figures in modern gaming just casually reaching out to hear a pitch. No buildup. No formal meeting. Just curiosity and instinct.
Foertsch had recently left Firaxis after years of building strategy games and was still figuring out what came next. As he explains:
“I’d left Firaxis after about 22 years of working there and making strategy games my whole career. I knew I wanted to stay in the strategy, the tactics space,” but it seems he hadn’t figured out the particulars of his next move – until a late night in his home office.
What he shared during that call would eventually evolve into Zero Company.
“He eventually said, ‘Do you think you can make a Star Wars game with this?'” Foertsch explains. “And I said, ‘Sure, different game, but yeah, absolutely.’
“Meanwhile, I’m thinking, ‘This is insane, right? Like, this is crazy. It’s Star Wars.’ And so I said, ‘Yeah, I can do that.’ And Vince was just like, ‘Pitch me.'”
And just like that, a Star Wars tactics game was set in motion.
That conversation likely took place years ago, considering Respawn officially announced its partnership with Foertsch’s studio, Bit Reactor, back in 2022.
It wasn’t until 2025 that the project was finally revealed as Star Wars Zero Company, and from early previews, it sounds like it’s been worth the long development cycle.
Zampella’s career reads like a highlight reel of modern gaming history. From working on Medal of Honor: Allied Assault at EA to co-founding Infinity Ward and launching Call of Duty, he helped define the military shooter genre.
After a split with Activision, he went on to create Respawn Entertainment, delivering Titanfall and later taking the reins on major EA franchises like Battlefield.
Now his legacy carries forward in a different way, through a Star Wars strategy game that might not have existed without that one late-night conversation. It’s a reminder that sometimes all it takes is the right person asking the right question at the right time.
Also, the idea of an XCOM-style Star Wars game is pretty awesome, and I can’t wait to play it!
