Vincent Zampella, co-creator of the best-selling video game Call of Duty, has died at the age of 55.
Vince Zampella, one of the creators of the best-selling video game “Call of Duty,” has died. He was 55.
Video game company Electronic Arts said Zampella died Sunday. The company did not disclose the cause of death.
In 2010, Zampella founded Respawn Entertainment, a subsidiary of EA, and was also the former CEO of video game developer Infinity Ward, the studio behind the successful “Call of Duty” franchise.
An Electronic Arts spokesman said in a statement Monday that Zampella's influence on the video game industry has been “profound and far-reaching.”
“A friend, colleague, leader and visionary creator, his work 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,” a company spokesperson wrote.
One of Zampella's greatest achievements was the creation of the Call of Duty franchise, which has sold more than half a billion games worldwide.
The first-person shooter debuted in 2003 as a World War II simulator and has sold over 500 million copies worldwide. Subsequent versions delved deeper into modern warfare, and there are fiction film based on the game being developed by Paramount Pictures.
In recent years, Zampella has led the creation of the adventure video games Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
