Video game juggernaut “Call of Duty,” co-creator of the acclaimed video game franchise, Vincent Zampella, passed away in a car crash, according to a report from Electronic Arts on Monday. He was 55.
According to local broadcaster NBC4, the developer and executive died on Sunday while driving his Ferrari on a picturesque road north of Los Angeles.
Without naming the two victims, the California Highway Patrol said in a statement that “for unknown reasons, the vehicle veered off the road, struck a concrete barrier, and completely engulfed.”
The CHP added that both the driver and a passenger who were pulled from the car both suffered injuries.
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Witnesses on the mountain road posted video of the mangled cherry-red Ferarri engulfed in flames. The crash’s cause is still being investigated.
Zampella was regarded as an innovator in first-person military shooter-style video games, and his studios were the ones that made the best-selling titles in the world.
Despite having a long gaming career, Zampella expressed gratitude this year when his “Battlefield 6” video game set a new record for the franchise’s sales.
Over 100 million people have been playing the mass-combat game in its various iterations over the past 20 years.
That is not a first, though. More than 100 million active players are reported each month in “Call of Duty.”
In a 2016 interview with IGN, Zampella said, “You have that dream of the game being popular, but I don’t think you’re ever ready for that level of success.”
Profound and significant
Zampella is best known for co-creating the “Star Wars Jedi” games and founding Respawn Entertainment, which is the studio that produced “Titanfall,” “Apex Legends,” and “Star Wars Jedi.”
He co-founded Infinity Ward in 2002 and contributed to the launch of “Call of Duty” in 2003 after beginning his career in the 1990s as a designer on shooter games. Later, his studio was acquired by Active.
He left Activision in contentious circumstances and founded Respawn, which Electronic Arts purchased in 2017.
He eventually took over the “Battlefield” franchise at EA, earning him a reputation as one of the most influential figures in contemporary first-person shooter games.
Our thoughts are with Vince’s family, his loved ones, and everyone who has been affected by his work, according to Electronic Arts in a statement.
Vince’s impact on the video game industry was “deep and profound,” the company claimed, adding that “his work helped shape contemporary interactive entertainment.”
Respawn praised Zampella for “showing up every day, trusting his teams, encouraging bold ideas, and believing in Battlefield and the people building it,” according to a statement posted on the “Battlefield” X account.
Because it mattered, Zampella championed what he thought was best for the studio owners and our players.
According to Washington Post video game reporter Gene Park, “It was a bold, transgressive method of storytelling, of a time when it was political, violent, and that had an impact.”
He “truly understood how to tell stories and create experiences that really struck at the heart of the human experience, whether it was through heroism or dread.” Through the designs of the video games he created, in my opinion, he was able to kind of encapsulate that, Park said.
