Call of Duty creator Vince Zampella dies at 55 : NPR

Vince Zampella, one of the creators of best-selling video games such as 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 his 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 has helped shape modern interactive entertainment and inspired millions of gamers and developers around the world,” the statement said. “His legacy will continue to shape how games are made and how players interact for generations to come.”

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 focus on modern warfare, and a live-action film is being made based on the game 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.

Geoff Keighley, a video game journalist and co-creator of The Game Awards, said he was shocked to learn of Zampella's sudden death.

“Vince was an extraordinary man – a gamer at heart, but also a visionary leader with a rare ability to recognize talent and give people the freedom and confidence to create something truly great,” Keighley wrote on social media on Monday. “And while he has created some of the most influential games of our time, I have always felt that his greatest game is yet to come. It's heartbreaking that we'll never be able to play it.”