The co-creator of “Call of Duty” Vince Zampella, a major figure in video games, died Sunday at the age of 55 in a car accident in the suburbs of Los Angeles, publisher Electronic Arts (EA) said on Monday.
The developer and studio executive Respawn Entertainment was driving his Ferrari on a road north of Los Angeles on Sunday when the accident occurred, according to NBC4.
“For unknown reasons, the vehicle left the road, struck a concrete barrier, and was completely engulfed in flames,” the California Highway Patrol described in a statement.
Police said the driver and passenger died from their injuries, without confirming their identities. People who were on the side of the road filmed the accident.
Vince Zampella was considered a pioneer of first-person shooter games, selling hundreds of millions of copies. “He really knew how to create stories and experiences that cut to the heart of the human experience — whether it’s terror, dread, heroism,” said Gene Park, video games journalist at the Washington Post, on NBC4.
More than 100 million active players per month
The game “Call of Duty,” which Vince Zampella co-created, claims more than 100 million monthly active players. The sixth game opus “Battlefield”, also from its stable, has also broken new records for this other franchise, which has won over more than 100 million players over twenty years.
“Vince’s influence on the video games industry has been deep and far-reaching,” commented EA. “His work has helped shape” modern games, according to the publisher, and he has “inspired millions of players and developers around the world.”
Vince Zampella also founded Respawn Entertainment, the studio which produced “Titanfall”, “Apex Legends” and “Star Wars Jedi”.
This role-playing game enthusiast made his name with the game “Medal of Honor: Allied Assault”, released in 2002, of which he was the main developer. During the design, he collaborated with director Steven Spielberg, who created the “Medal of Honor” franchise.
That same year, Vince Zampella founded his own studio, Infinity Ward, with two other video game designers, Jason West and Grant Collier.
Licensed by Activision
Their first title will be “Call of Duty”, a first-person shooter which will mark a renewal of the genre. The game and its sequels have since sold more than 500 million copies. Having become the owner of Infinity Ward, Activision nevertheless fired Vince Zampella and Jason West in 2010, who sued the publisher for unfair dismissal and obtained an amicable settlement in 2012.
The two partners then created a new studio, Respawn Entertainment, bought by Electronic Arts in 2017. In 2021, EA entrusted him with the “Battlefield” franchise, sealing his reputation as one of the most influential figures in first-person shooter games. “It was a bold and transgressive method of storytelling, part of a violent and impactful political moment,” said Gene Park.
The journalist and host of the Game Awards Geoff Keighley hailed on X “a titan of the video game industry”.
The Respawn studio paid tribute to its founder on the “Battlefield” franchise’s X account, praising “the way he came every day, trusting his teams, encouraging bold ideas, and believing in “Battlefield” and its creators.”
