After an immensely successful stint at Call of Duty developers Infinity Ward, Vince Zampella co-founded video game studio Respawn Entertainment in 2010, which launched the Titanfall series, Apex Legends, and the Star Wars Jedi series. In 2021, Zampella also took charge of EA’s Battlefield series.
Vince Zampella, a video game designer and a key figure behind the acclaimed Call of Duty series and Battlefield series, was killed in a car crash on Sunday, 21 December, multiple media reports said.
According to a report by NBC Los Angeles, the crash took place on Southern California’s Angeles Crest Highway, killing 55-year-old Zampella and another as yet unidentified passenger.
The crash was reported at around 12.45 pm local time on Sunday, after the car that the duo were travelling in veered off the road and hit a concrete barrier.
The driver was trapped and perished in the ensuing car fire, NBC reported, adding that a passenger was ejected and later died at a hospital. It wasn’t immediately clear whether Zampella was the driver or the passenger.
While details about the crash were not immediately available, a witness video of the crash showed that a 2026 Ferrari 296 GTS was involved, NBC reported.
Who was Vince Zampella?
In 2002, Zampella co-founded Infinity Ward with Jason West and Grant Collier to develop a game that would serve as a Medal of Honour ‘killer’, with a publishing agreement with Activision.
Zampella’s leadership stint at Infinity Ward, where he served as CEO and Chief Creative Officer, saw the studio publish genre-defining shooter titles such as Call of Duty (2003), Call of Duty 2 (2005), Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007), and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009).
After his immensely successful tenure working with Activision, Zampella co-founded video game studio Respawn Entertainment in 2010, with former Infinity Ward colleague Jason West.
Since its founding, Respawn has launched acclaimed titles like Titanfall (2014), Titanfall 2 (2016), Apex Legends (2019), Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (2019), and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (2023).
Although EA acquired Respawn in 2017, Zampella remained its CEO, before taking charge of the Battlefield series for EA.
Under Zampella’s watch, the series rebounded from its disappointing 2021 launch of Battlefield 2042 to the roaring success of this year’s Battlefield 6.
Tributes pour in
As news of Zampella’s tragic death spread, figures from the video game industry expressed their shock and paid their respects to the industry icon.
“The Game Awards mourns the loss of Vince Zampella, co-creator of Call of Duty, and co-founder of Infinity Ward and Respawn Entertainment,” the annual awards programme said.
“Vince Zampella was not just an amazing game creator. He was also a friend. In absolute shock right now. Rest in peace to an absolute legend and giant of our industry,” said J P Kellams, lead producer at Epic Games.
Gamers also joined in, with netizens posting video game references in tribute to Zampella.
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