Legendary video game designer Vince Zampella, who co-created the Call of Duty series, died Sunday in a car crash in Southern California, USA, UNN reports with reference to Mashable.
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Zampella, 55, most recently headed the Battlefield shooter series at EA Games, but was also involved in many successful franchises, including Medal of Honor, Titanfall, and Apex Legends.
Together with Grant Collier and Jason West, Zampella co-founded Infinity Ward in 2002, which led to the creation of the iconic first-person shooter Call of Duty in 2003. After Infinity Ward was fully acquired by Activision, Zampella was later fired, and he successfully sued the company for tens of millions of dollars in unpaid royalties and bonuses.
Zampella reportedly played a key role in the creation of some of the most famous games in the Call of Duty series, including 2007's Modern Warfare and 2009's Modern Warfare 2. The Call of Duty series now numbers almost two dozen games and has sold half a billion copies.
Zampella co-founded Respawn Entertainment with Jason West in 2010, which released two Titanfall games under Zampella's leadership before the company was acquired by EA in 2017. While under EA, Respawn released not only Apex Legends but also Star Wars games, including Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
Zampella, along with another person in his car, died on Angeles Crest Highway north of Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon in a single-vehicle accident. Zampella died in a Ferrari crash, NBC4 Investigates reported.
EA released the following statement to TMZ regarding Zampella's death: "This is an incredible loss, and our hearts go out to Vince's family, his loved ones, and everyone touched by his work. Vince's impact on the video game industry was profound and far-reaching. A friend, colleague, leader, and visionary creator, his work helped shape modern interactive entertainment and inspired millions of players and developers worldwide. His legacy will continue to shape how games are made and how players interact for generations to come."