Vince Zampella was considered one of the most successful developers in the video game industry. Now the co-developer of “Call of Duty” has died in a car accident at the age of 55.
Dec 23, 2025, 3:38 amDec 23, 2025, 3:38 am
Anna-Lena Janzen / t-online
The video game scene mourns Vince Zampella. The co-developer of “Call of Duty” was considered a “titan” of the gaming industry. Now the 55-year-old has died in an accident in California, as US media reported on Monday.
Vince Zampella is one of the creators of the popular COD series.Image: keystone
According to local broadcaster NBC4, he crashed his Ferrari on the highway in the San Gabriel Mountains north of Los Angeles on Sunday. Upon request, the local police confirmed an accident with two deaths, without providing further details about the identities of the victims.
According to reports, the Ferrari crashed into a concrete guardrail. It was said that the car immediately burst into flames. Authorities said the person in the passenger seat was ejected from the vehicle while the driver remained trapped in the vehicle. It is unclear whether Zampella was driving the car and who the other person inside was. Both occupants of the vehicle were killed.
Zampella developed the genre of first-person shooters
Zampella was hailed as one of the video game industry’s most successful developers. For years he led the development studio Infinity Ward, which made “Call of Duty” one of the best-selling video games from 2003 onwards. Zampella played a key role in developing the genre of first-person shooters, in which the player takes on the role of a fighter.
Zampella shaped the development of first-person shooters as a genre.Image: activision
In 2010, Zampella co-founded the studio Respawn, which was acquired by Electronic Arts in 2017. Respawn released successful games such as “Titanfall”, “Apex Legends” and “Star Wars Jedi”. At Electronic Arts he was responsible for the “Battlefield” series.
An Electronic Arts spokesman confirmed Zampella’s death to the British BBC: “This is an unimaginable loss and our hearts go out to Vincent’s family, loved ones and everyone touched by his work,” the statement said.
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