Vince Zampella, Call of Duty and Respawn cofounder, has died at 55

Famed producer and director oversaw numerous critically acclaimed shooters

by · TechSpot

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Rest in peace Vince Zampella, the head of EA's Respawn Entertainment and former head of Call of Duty developer Infinity Ward, has passed away. He died unexpectedly in a single-car accident north of Los Angeles at the age of 55. One other person also died in the accident.

Footage of the crash, provided by a witness, shows a red 2026 Ferrari 296 GTX veering off the road and slamming into a concrete barrier shortly after exiting a tunnel. Zampella was driving and was pronounced dead at the scene. A passenger was transported to a hospital, where they later died.

Authorities have not yet determined what caused the crash. The Ferrari 296 GTX is a mid-engine hybrid sports car powered by a twin-turbo V-6, producing more than 819 horsepower.

Born in 1970, Zampella's career in games began in the mid-1990s, producing PC titles for Atari and other publishers before joining EA in the early 2000s. There, he directed 2002's critically acclaimed Medal of Honor: Allied Assault alongside the studio 2015, Inc. and designer Jason West.

After EA declined to allow 2015 to develop the next Medal of Honor installment, Zampella and roughly 20 colleagues broke off to form Infinity Ward. The team signed with Activision to create what was pitched internally as an "MOH killer." The result was Call of Duty, which launched in 2003 to widespread acclaim.

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Under Zampella's leadership, Infinity Ward released Call of Duty 2 and Call of Duty 4, the latter redefining the franchise in 2007 and cementing it as one of the most commercially dominant series in gaming. The Call of Duty brand continues to top sales charts today.

Zampella's time at Infinity Ward came to an abrupt end in 2009, following the launch of Modern Warfare 2, when Activision fired both him and West. The move sparked a high-profile legal battle, after which the pair and several former Infinity Ward developers returned to EA to found Respawn Entertainment.

At Respawn, Zampella oversaw the creation of the Titanfall series, the breakout battle royale Apex Legends, and EA's Star Wars: Jedi games. More recently, he also played a key role in overseeing the development of the newly released and commercially successful Battlefield 6.

Tributes to Zampella have poured in from across the industry following the news of his passing. In a statement, EA calls his death an unimaginable loss, highlighting his far-reaching influence on gaming. Other industry figures referred to him as a legend and a titan who helped define modern first-person shooters.