Vince Zampella, co-creator of Call of Duty video game series, dies aged 55 | California

Vince Zampella, co-creator of the Call of Duty video game series, has died at the age of 55.

The president of video game developer Respawn Entertainment and co-founder of Infinity Ward has died in a car crash in California. NBC Los Angeles reported.

Zampella led the creation of the best-selling video game series Call of Duty at Infinity Ward and has been involved in many beloved game franchises, from Medal of Honor to Titanfall, across his various studios.

He was killed in a single-car crash on the Angeles Crest Highway, which was reported to the California Highway Patrol at 12:45 a.m. Sunday. The driver of the vehicle died at the scene and one passenger died in the hospital.

Zampella began his career in video games in the mid-1990s. He was most recently appointed head of the Battlefield series of military shooter video games at EA Games; Battlefield 6 was released to critical acclaim in October.

He previously founded Respawn Entertainment under EA in 2010, which created the beloved Titanfall series of mechanical shooters and the popular multiplayer game Apex Legends.

Zampella is known for his time in the 2000s at Infinity Ward, a studio he founded with Grant Collier and Jason West in 2002. There he co-created the Call of Duty video game series and some of its most acclaimed games, including Modern Warfare (2007) and Modern Warfare 2 (2009).

Call of Duty games have gone on to sell over 500 million copies. In 2010, he, along with other former Infinity Ward employees, was involved in a lawsuit against the series’ publisher, Activision, over unpaid royalties.

EA and Respawn have been contacted for comment.