Vince Zampella, Call of Duty co-creator, dies in California car crash
Vince Zampella, co-creator of the hugely popular video game series Call of Duty, died in a car crash in California at the age of 55.
Zampella’s death was confirmed by Electronic Arts, which owns Respawn Entertainment, the game studio he co-founded.
The influential video game developer was traveling in a Ferrari with another person when it crashed and caught fire on a Los Angeles freeway on Sunday.
A spokesperson for Electronic Arts told the BBC: “This is an unimaginable loss and our hearts go out to Vince’s family, loved ones and everyone affected by his work.”
Authorities said the person in the passenger seat of the vehicle was thrown while the driver was trapped. It is unclear whether Zampella was driving the car and who the other person inside was.
Both people in the vehicle died.
“For unknown reasons, the vehicle left the roadway, struck a concrete barrier and was completely engulfed,” the California Highway Patrol said in a statement to the BBC. he said.
Zampella created Call of Duty in 2003 with his long-time collaborators Jason West and Grant Collier.
Partially II. Inspired by events in World War II, the game has sold more than 500 million copies, making Microsoft’s Activision one of the most profitable gaming companies. It has also led to an upcoming live-action movie.
The Call of Duty series wasn’t his only success. It was also behind other popular games like Medal of Honor, Titanfall, and Apex Legend.
“He really cared about the player experience, he cared about making games, he cared about how people felt when they were playing games, and that really came through whenever you spoke to him,” Keza MacDonald, the Guardian’s video games editor, told BBC Newshour.
In 2010, Zampella and West were fired from Activision, which published the Call of Duty games, and the duo subsequently had a long dispute with the company, settling the dispute out of court in 2012.
At Electronic Arts, Zampella worked on Battlefield 6, which was seen as a direct rival to Call of Duty.
Infinity Ward, the American company that developed Call of Duty, said Zampella “will always have a special place in our history.”
“Your legacy of creating iconic, enduring entertainment is immeasurable,” the company said in a statement about X.
