Vince Zampella, creator of the wildly successful Call of Duty video game franchise, died Sunday in a single-vehicle car crash on a Los Angeles-area highway. He was 55.
Around 12:45 p.m. on Angeles Crest Highway north of L.A. in the San Gabriel Mountains, officers with the California Highway Patrol’s Altadena Area office responded to the scene of an accident. Zampella was driving a 2026 Ferrari 296 GTS when veered off a winding road overlooking both Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley into a concrete barrier. The car caught fire, with the passenger being ejected from the vehicle while the driver remained trapped. Both the driver and a passenger died from their injuries, though it is not clear at the time of this reporting who the other person in the car was, or whether Zampella was driving. That information is being withheld until the next of kin can be properly contacted.
“We’re heartbroken by the passing of our founder and dear friend Vince Zampella,” reads a post on X from his company, Respawn Entertainment, on Monday afternoon. “Vince was a titan and legend of this industry, a visionary leader and a force who shaped teams and games like Call of Duty, Titanfall, Apex Legends, the Star Wars Jedi series and Battlefield for our community in ways that will be felt for generations.
“His impact reached far beyond any one game or studio. We will remember Vince for how he showed up every day, trusting his teams, encouraging bold ideas, and believing in Respawn & Battlefield,” the statement continues. “Most importantly, he championed what he believed was right for the people behind those studios and our players because it mattered. We will miss him greatly. Our hearts are with his family, friends, and all who love him.”
Zampella was the head of Respawn Entertainment and is the former CEO of Infinity Ward, the video game developers behind Call of Duty. The game has sold over 500 million copies and has 100 million monthly active players across all platforms, as of October 2023; since 2022, the franchise has generated over $30 billion in revenue.
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