Vince Zampella, co-creator of the popular Call of Duty video game series, died in a car accident in California at the age of 55.
Zampella's death was confirmed by Electronic Arts, which owns the game studio Respawn Entertainment, which he co-founded.
An influential video game developer was driving a Ferrari with another man when it crashed and caught fire on a Los Angeles highway on Sunday.
“This is an unimaginable loss and our hearts are with Vince's family, his loved ones and everyone touched by his work,” an Electronic Arts spokesperson told the BBC.
The person in the passenger seat of the vehicle was ejected and the driver remained trapped, officials said. It is unclear whether Zampella was driving the car or who the other person inside was.
Both people in the car died.
“For unknown reasons, the vehicle left the roadway, struck a concrete barrier and completely sank,” the California Highway Patrol said in a statement to the BBC.
Zampella created Call of Duty with his longtime colleagues Jason West and Grant Collier in 2003.
Inspired in part by the events of World War II, the game sold more than 500 million copies, making Microsoft owners Activision one of the most profitable gaming companies. It also spawned an upcoming live-action film.
The Call of Duty franchise wasn't his only success. He was also the author of other widely popular games, including Medal of Honor, Titanfall and Apex Legends.
Journalist and Game Awards presenter Geoff Keighley, who wrote a book about the making of Titanfallcalled Zampella a “dear friend” in a post on X and a “visionary leader” who “never wavered in his commitment to honesty and transparency.”
“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,” he said. “It’s heartbreaking that we’ll never be able to play this.”
“He really cared about the player experience,” Keza McDonald, the Guardian's video games editor, told BBC Newshour.
“He cared about making games, he cared about how people felt when they played, and that really came across whenever you talked to him.”
In 2010, Zampella and West were fired from Activision, which publishes the Call of Duty games, and the pair subsequently became embroiled in a long-running dispute with the company, which they settled out of court in 2012.
At Electronic Arts, Zampella worked on Battlefield 6, which is seen as a direct competitor to Call of Duty.
Infinity Ward, the American company that developed Call of Duty, said Zampella “will always have a special place in our history.”
“Your legacy of creating iconic and enduring entertainment is immeasurable,” the company said in a statement on X.
