Vince Zampella, co-creator of the Call of Duty series and head of one of the most influential game development studios of the modern console era, has died in a car crash in California, according to a report. NBC Los Angeles report.
The 55-year-old executive was driving a 2026 Ferrari 296 GTS that crashed on a mountain road north of Los Angeles and subsequently caught fire. According to NBC, citing the California Highway Patrol, both drivers and a passenger were killed.
Zampella was an executive vice president at EA, overseeing the Battlefield franchise with Respawn Entertainment, which he founded with longtime business partner Jason West in 2010 and which produced Titanfall, Apex Legends, Jedi Fallen Order and Medal of Honor: Beyond and Beyond.
EA statement was provided My city: “This is an unimaginable loss, and our hearts are with Vince’s family, his loved ones and everyone touched by his work. Vince's influence on the video game industry was profound and far-reaching. His work as a friend, colleague, leader and visionary creator has helped shape modern interactive entertainment and inspired millions of gamers and developers around the world. His legacy will continue to shape how games are made and how players interact for generations to come.”
Zampel and West, along with Grant Collier, founded Infinity Ward in 2002 and created the phenomenally successful Call of Duty franchise for Activision. Developed by the core team behind the then-leading Medal of Honor franchise, 2003's Call of Duty was initially a hit on PC and then spawned numerous sequels across all platforms. The franchise has sold over 500 million copies and defined the modern first-person shooter market.
Zampella and West were fired from Infinity Ward in 2010 after long-running disagreements with Activision over the franchise came to a head. They left with 40 members of the core development team to form Respawn, then reunited with EA, the publisher of the original Medal of Honor, for the Xbox One game Titanfall. West left the studio in 2013, and EA acquired it in 2017.
Zampella subsequently rose to an executive position at EA and was named head of Battlefield in 2021, while maintaining control of Respawn. At the time, current EA President Laura Miele described him as creator of “culture-defining entertainment that goes beyond gaming” and “one of the most influential and talented people in entertainment.”
