California – Vince Zampella, the influential video game developer best known for co-creating Call of Duty, has died aged 55 after a fatal car crash in California, according to confirmation from Electronic Arts, the parent company of Respawn Entertainment, the studio he co-founded.
Authorities said the crash occurred on a Los Angeles highway on Sunday, when a Ferrari carrying two people veered off the road, struck a concrete barrier and became fully engulfed in flames. Both occupants died at the scene. Officials said one person was ejected from the vehicle while the other remained trapped, but it remains unclear who was driving.
In a statement, Electronic Arts described Zampella’s death as an “unimaginable loss,” adding that its thoughts were with his family, friends and the many people influenced by his work. The California Highway Patrol said the cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Zampella’s impact on gaming is difficult to overstate. Alongside longtime collaborators Jason West and Grant Collier, he helped create Call of Duty in 2003. Inspired in part by World War II, the franchise went on to sell more than 500 million copies worldwide, shaping the modern first-person shooter genre and becoming one of the most commercially successful properties in entertainment.
Beyond Call of Duty, Zampella was instrumental in developing other major titles, including Medal of Honor, Titanfall and Apex Legends. Colleagues say his focus was always on how games felt to play, not just how they sold.
Journalist and Game Awards host Geoff Keighley called Zampella a “visionary executive” and a close friend, praising his honesty and belief that great games come from respecting players. “It’s heartbreaking that we’ll never get to play what he would have made next,” Keighley wrote online.
Industry voices echoed that sentiment. Guardian video games editor Keza MacDonald told BBC Newshour that Zampella “really cared about the player experience,” a quality many developers cite as increasingly rare in an era of live-service monetisation. Popular YouTuber MrRoflWaffles credited him with inspiring an entire generation of creators and players.
Zampella’s career also included public conflict. In 2010, he and West were fired from Activision, sparking a high-profile legal dispute that was settled out of court two years later. He later joined Electronic Arts, where he worked on projects including Battlefield 6, a direct competitor to Call of Duty.
In a statement, Infinity Ward said Zampella would “always have a special place in our history,” adding that his legacy of creating lasting entertainment was “immeasurable.” For millions of players worldwide, his work didn’t just define games—it defined eras.
