A gaming titan has fallen.
Call of Duty co-creator Vince Zampella—who also had a hand in shaping beloved games such as Titanfall and Apex Legends—died in a Southern California car crash Dec. 21. He was 55.
"This is an unimaginable loss, and our hearts are with Vince’s family, his loved ones, and all those touched by his work," his employer Electronic Arts said in a Dec. 22 statement to The Guardian. "Vince’s influence on the video game industry was profound and far-reaching."
The video game publisher continued, "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.”
Zampella was involved in single-vehicle crash around 12:45 p.m. in the San Gabriel Mountains near Los Angeles, according to the California Highway Patrol. The vehicle veered off the road and hit a concrete barrier, trapping the driver—identified as Zampella by NBC Los Angeles—inside as it burned.
Another unidentified passenger was transported to a local hospital, where they succumbed to their injuries, authorities told the outlet.
The fatal incident came 10 days after Zampella made an appearance at the 2025 Game Awards, where Battlefield 6—created under his leadership—won Best Audio Design.
Zampella began his career in the gaming industry during the '90s at GameTek, before moving to Atari to help launch its PC division. He co-founded Infinity Ward with Jason West and Grant Collier in 2002 after working on Medal of Honor: Allied Assault while at the now-defunct gaming developer 2015 Inc.
Infinity Ward was acquired by Activision in 2003 shortly after the release of Call of Duty. Zampella and West went on to oversee the development of 2005's Call of Duty 2, 2007's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and 2009's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 before parting ways with Activision.
In 2010, Zampella teamed up with West again to launch Respawn Entertainment. The video game studio—now owned by Electronic Arts—became responsible for developing several AAA games, including Titanfall and Apex Legends.
And for Zampella, it was a humbling experience seeing Call of Duty spawn into massive franchise boasting more than 22 games.
"It's got so much history that people want to see it grow and evolve," he told GameSpot in a 2019 interview. "There's a little bit of that, 'Wow, that legacy is huge.'"