Vince Zampella, the visionary developer who co-created the global phenomenon Call of Duty, has died following a car crash in Los Angeles, California. He was 55 years old.
The news was confirmed by Electronic Arts (EA), the parent company of Respawn Entertainment, which Zampella co-founded.
In a statement to the BBC, an EA spokesperson described the event as an “unimaginable loss,” noting that Zampella’s work touched millions of players worldwide.
The crash occurred on a Los Angeles highway on Sunday.
Zampella was traveling in a Ferrari with one other person when the vehicle veered off the road for unknown reasons.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the car struck a concrete barrier and was quickly engulfed in flames.
Both occupants of the vehicle died at the scene.
While officials confirmed one person was ejected and the other remained trapped, it has not yet been clarified who was driving.
Zampella changed the landscape of entertainment in 2003 when he, along with Jason West and Grant Collier, launched Call of Duty.
The franchise has since sold over 500 million copies, becoming a cornerstone of the gaming world.
Beyond Call of Duty, Zampella was the driving force behind several other massive hits, including:
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Medal of Honor
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Titanfall
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Apex Legends
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Battlefield 6 (his most recent project at EA)
Keza MacDonald, video games editor at The Guardian, praised Zampella’s dedication to the player experience, stating that his passion for how people felt while playing his games was evident to everyone who knew him.
Zampella’s career was also marked by his resilience.
After a high-profile legal dispute with Activision in 2010, he successfully pivoted to lead Respawn Entertainment, further cementing his legacy as one of the most influential figures in modern gaming history.
