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Rabat – Vince Zampella, one of the most influential figures in modern video gaming and a co-creator of the Call of Duty franchise, has died in a car crash in California aged 55.
The accident happened on a Los Angeles highway on Sunday, when a Ferrari carrying two people veered off the road, hit a concrete barrier, and burst into flames, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Both occupants of the vehicle were killed. Authorities said one person was ejected from the car while the other remained trapped inside, but it is still unclear who was driving at the time or who the second passenger was.
Electronic Arts, which owns Respawn Entertainment — the studio Zampella co-founded — confirmed his death in a statement, calling it an “unimaginable loss” and offering condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues.
Zampella helped shape the direction of first-person shooters for more than two decades. He co-created Call of Duty in 2003 alongside longtime collaborators Jason West and Grant Collier, laying the foundation for what would become one of the most successful entertainment franchises of all time.
Originally inspired by World War II, the series has gone on to sell more than 500 million copies worldwide and expand into films and esports, cementing its place in pop culture.
His influence extended far beyond a single franchise. Zampella was also behind Medal of Honor, Titanfall, and Apex Legends, titles that helped redefine multiplayer gaming and showed his ability to adapt as the industry evolved.
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Even critics who disagreed with the direction of big-budget shooters rarely questioned his understanding of what players wanted.
Those who worked with him say that his focus never changed. In a post on X, Geoff Keighley, journalist and host of The Game Awards, described Zampella as a close friend and a leader who valued honesty and transparency.
He said Zampella believed his best work was still ahead of him — a thought that has made his death particularly difficult for those who knew him.
“He really cared about how people felt when they played his games,” Keza MacDonald, video games editor at The Guardian, told BBC Newshour, noting that his passion came through in conversation as much as in his work.
Zampella’s career was not without conflict. Activision fired Zampella and Jason in 2010, sparking a high-profile legal dispute that was later settled. He later joined Electronic Arts, where he worked on Battlefield 6, positioning it as a major rival to Call of Duty.
Infinity Ward, the studio where it all began, said Zampella would “always have a special place” in its history, in a statement on X.
For many players, creators, and developers, his legacy will go on, not just in sales figures, but in the way his games shaped how a generation learned to play.
