Vince Zampella, creator of ‘Call of Duty’ and longtime Electronic Arts innovator, killed in crash

Vince Zampella, one of the masterminds behind the Call of Duty franchise and a key figure in the global entertainment industry, died in a traffic incident at age 55. The news was confirmed Monday by industry giant Electronic Arts (EA), sending shockwaves through the developer and gaming communities.

The developer and senior executive lost his life last Sunday while driving his Ferrari on a highway north of Los Angeles, local broadcaster NBC4 reported.

Details of the accident in Los Angeles

According to an official statement from the California Highway Patrol, the vehicle left the roadway for reasons still under investigation. "The vehicle veered off the roadway, struck a concrete barrier, and became fully engulfed," authorities reported.

Both the driver and the passenger died from their injuries. The passenger was ejected from the vehicle.

A viral video on social media, corroborated by TMZ, appears to show the moment of the accident:

The legacy of a First-Person Shooter (FPS) pioneer

Zampella-led studios not only created some of the best-selling video games in history, but defined the first-person shooter (FPS) genre. Under their direction, titles such as Battlefield and Call of Duty rose to fame.

This year, Battlefield 6 set a new sales record for the franchise. That massive combat game has conquered more than 100 million users in the last two decades, in its various versions. However, that figure is not the first. As of today, its other jewel, Call of Duty, has more than 100 million monthly active players.

"You have that dream of the game being popular, but I don't think you're ever ready for that level of success," the creator acknowledged in an interview with the specialized portal IGN, according to AFP.

After starting out in the 1990s as a shooter game designer, he co-founded Infinity Ward in 2002 and helped launch Call of Duty in 2003. His studio was later acquired by Activision.

He left the latter company under controversial circumstances and founded Respawn Entertainment in 2010. This studio is responsible for titles such as Titanfall, Apex Legends and Star Wars Jedi. It was acquired by Electronic Arts in 2017.

At EA, he ended up in charge of revitalizing the Battlefield franchise, cementing his reputation as one of the most influential figures in modern first-person shooter video games.

"We will miss him greatly"

"We are heartbroken by the loss of Vince Zampella, a creative leader whose work shaped generations of players and helped define what modern shooters and action games could be," he was bid farewell from the official Battlefield account.

His colleagues at Respawn also dedicated a similar statement to the studio founder "and dear friend."

"We will remember Vince for how he showed up every day, trusting his teams, encouraging bold ideas, and believing in Respawn & Battlefield. Most importantly, he championed what he believed was right for the people behind those studios and our players because it mattered," they assured. "We will miss him greatly."