‘Call of Duty’ Developer Vince Zampella Dies After Ferrari Crashes on Angeles Crest Highway

Vince Zampella, ‘Call of Duty’ Video Game Pioneer, Dies at 55 in Ferrari Crash

Vince Zampella, one of the most influential figures in the modern video game industry and co-creator of the Call of Duty franchise, has died at the age of 55 in a single-vehicle crash in Southern California.

Zampella was killed Sunday afternoon on the Angeles Crest Highway north of Los Angeles when the Ferrari 296 GTS he was driving veered off the winding mountain road just after exiting a tunnel, struck a concrete barrier and caught fire. Emergency responders said Zampella was trapped in the burning vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. A passenger in the car was ejected and later died at a hospital; their identity has not yet been released. 

A native of the United States, Vincent Walter Zampella II was a seminal game designer whose career spanned more than two decades. In 2002 he co-founded Infinity Ward, where he helped launch the Call of Duty series—a franchise that would become one of the best-selling and most influential in gaming history. Under his leadership, Call of Duty transitioned from its World War II roots into a multi-era blockbuster phenomenon.

After parting ways with Activision in 2010, Zampella co-founded Respawn Entertainment, a studio later acquired by Electronic Arts. There he oversaw critically acclaimed titles including Titanfall, Apex Legends, and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and most recently was involved in guiding the Battlefield franchise.