Vince Zampella, best known as a co-creator of the Call of Duty franchise and a co-founder of Respawn Entertainment, has died at the age of 55 following a car accident near Los Angeles.
According to NBC, the single-vehicle crash was reported on December 21 at around 12:45 p.m. local time in the San Gabriel Mountains north of Los Angeles. The car, carrying two people and traveling southbound, veered off the road and collided with a concrete barrier. The passenger was ejected from the vehicle, while the driver became trapped inside after the car caught fire. The driver died at the scene, and the passenger later succumbed to injuries in hospital.
Zampella was widely regarded as one of the most influential and talented game developers of his generation. He helped shape the modern shooter genre as a co-creator of Call of Duty, which he developed alongside Jason West at Infinity Ward in 2003. He later became a central figure in a high-profile lawsuit against Activision, alleging that the publisher owed him and the Infinity Ward team millions of dollars in unpaid royalties tied to the franchise.
Following their departure from Infinity Ward, Zampella and West, along with a significant portion of the studio’s staff, joined Electronic Arts, where they co-founded Respawn Entertainment. The studio went on to create Titanfall, Titanfall 2, Apex Legends, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
Respawn’s success under Zampella’s leadership led to his promotion within EA, where he later served as a group general manager overseeing the Battlefield franchise — a role many believe helped stabilize and revive the series.
More Stories
Wizards of the Coast unveils a first look at Exodus combat and exploration gameplay
A Cyberpunk 2077-based card game raised nearly $8 million on Kickstarter within just a few hours
Resident Evil Requiem sets record-breaking sales pace for Capcom