Key points

• Vince Zampella died after the Ferrari he was driving crashed and caught fire near Los Angeles
• He was a renowned video developer whose studios have created some of the world's best-selling games
• One of his crowning achievements was the creation of the 'Call of Duty' franchise

Renowned game designer Vince Zampella has died, US video gaming company Electronic Arts said in a statement on Monday. The gaming juggernaut did not mention the cause of death.

A separate report by the NBC Los Angeles, however, stated that the 55-year-old had been driving a Ferrari with another passenger on Sunday afternoon when the car slammed into a concrete barrier and caught fire.

Zampella died at the scene, while the passenger later died in hospital, the broadcaster said.

Police told the LA Times that the identities of the deceased were pending release by the county coroner.

Zampella's role in the 'Call of Duty' saga

Zampella co-created Infinity Ward, the studio that published the wildly popular "Call of Duty" video games.

The first-person shooter game debuted in 2003 as a World War II simulation and has since spawned dozens of spin offs and sequels, the most recent being "Call of Duty: Black Ops 7" which was released in November 2025. The franchise has sold over 500 million copies globally and came to dominate the first-person-shooter genre, especially among the millennial generation of gamers.

A feature film based on the game is also in production with Paramount Pictures.

But Zampella isn't just known for "Call of Duty."

In 2010, he cofounded Respawn Entertainment, an EA subsidiary. As head of the studio, he led the creation of successful games such as "Titanfall," and "Apex Legends."

The story-driven single-player games "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order" and "Star Wars Jedi: Survivor" also received widespread acclaim, particularly among fans.

EA says Zampella was a 'visionary creator'

In its statement, Electronic Arts said that Zampella's influence 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 around the world," the statement said.

Video game journalist Geoff Keighley, who is also the founder of the annual The Game Awards celebrating the industry, said he was shocked to hear of Zampella's sudden death.

He called Zampella a "titan of the video game industry" in a post on X.

"Vince was an extraordinary person — a gamer at heart, but also a visionary executive with a rare ability to recognize talent and give people the freedom and confidence to create something truly great," Keighley wrote on social media on Monday.

In a separate post, Keighley posted an old interview he did with Zampella about Call of Duty.

Edited by: Darko Janjevic