Vince Zampella, CEO of Respawn Entertainment, introduces the video game "Titanfall 2" during Electronics Arts news conference on June 12, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. KEVORK DJANSEZIAN / AFP
Vince Zampella, the acclaimed co-creator of the video gaming juggernaut "Call of Duty," has died in a car crash, gaming giant Electronic Arts confirmed on Monday, December 22. According to local broadcaster NBC4, the developer and executive died on Sunday while driving his Ferrari on a scenic road north of Los Angeles. His studios created some of the world's best-selling video games.
"For unknown reasons, the vehicle veered off the roadway, struck a concrete barrier, and became fully engulfed," the California Highway Patrol said in a statement, without identifying the two victims in the crash. The CHP added that both the driver and a passenger who was ejected from the vehicle succumbed to their injuries.
Zampella was best known for co-creating the "Call of Duty" franchise and founding Respawn Entertainment, the studio behind "Titanfall," "Apex Legends," and the "Star Wars Jedi" games. After starting out in the 1990s as a designer on shooter games, he co-founded Infinity Ward in 2002 and helped launch "Call of Duty" in 2003. Activision later acquired his studio. He left Activision under contentious circumstances and established Respawn in 2010, which Electronic Arts acquired in 2017.
