Vince Zampella, ‘Call of Duty’ Creator, Dies at 55 in Car Accident

Vince Zampella, the co-creator of hit video game franchise “Call of Duty,” died in a single-car accident on Sunday near Los Angeles, NBC LA confirmed Monday. He was 55.

Zampella was involved in a Ferrari crash on Southern California’s Angeles Crest Highway around 12:45 p.m. on Sunday. The accident happened north of Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Mountain as the car was heading south and hit a concrete barrier. The car caught on fire, and the driver was pronounced dead at the scene, according to NBC Los Angeles. The passenger was ejected from the vehicle and later died at a hospital.

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“This is an unimaginable loss, and our hearts are with Vince’s family, his loved ones, and all those touched by his work,” video game company EA said in a statement. “Vince’s influence on the video game industry was profound and far-reaching. A friend, colleague, leader and visionary creator, his work helped shape modern interactive entertainment and inspired millions of players and developers around the world. His legacy will continue to shape how games are made and how players connect for generations to come.”

With Jason West, Zampella was the co-founder of video game developer Infinity Ward, which created the hugely successful “Call of Duty” series in 2003. After being fired by parent company Activision, for which he later sued for wrongful termination and received a settlement, Zampella co-founded Respawn Entertainment in 2010. After Zampella left in 2013, the studio was acquired by EA and went on to make hit games like “Titanfall,” “Apex Legends,” “Star Wars Jedi: Survivor” and more. In 2021, EA put Zampella in charge of the popular “Battlefield” franchise.

Zampella started out in the video game industry at publisher GameTek, then later met West while working at SegaSoft. They became lead designers on 2002’s “Medal of Honor: Allied Assault,” a first-person military shooter that was set during WWII and counted Steven Spielberg as a co-writer.

Zampella and West founded Infinity Ward along with Grant Collier in 2002, and the company made a deal with Activision to create a rival to “Medal of Honor.” That would become “Call of Duty,” dubbed their “‘Medal of Honor’ Killer.” Under Zampella’s leadership, Infinity Ward released four “Call of Duty” games, including the mega hit “Modern Warfare.”

“Call of Duty” has gone on to become of the most prolific and successful video game series of all time. It’s the third best-selling franchise in the world after “Mario” and “Tetris.” The games have sold more than 500 million copies of its games, has 100 million monthly players and has generated more than $30 billion. In October, it was announced that Taylor Sheridan would direct a live-action “Call of Duty” movie for Paramount.