Call of Duty co-creator and Battlefield 6 lead Vince Zampella killed in crash

Vince Zampella, a leading video game developer best known as a co-creator of the Call of Duty series and a co-founder of Respawn Entertainment, was killed in a single-vehicle crash in Southern California, according to local media reports and officials.

The crash occurred Sunday at about 12:45 p.m. on Angeles Crest Highway in the San Gabriel Mountains north of Los Angeles, according to WCMH, citing the California Highway Patrol. Authorities said a southbound Ferrari veered off the roadway and struck a concrete barrier.

A passenger was ejected from the vehicle, while the driver became trapped inside the car, which caught fire. Officials said the driver died at the scene and the passenger later died at a hospital. Authorities did not release additional details about the cause of the crash, and the investigation remains ongoing.

Zampella was widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in modern video game development. In addition to helping create Call of Duty, he co-founded Respawn Entertainment, which developed the Titanfall franchise and Apex Legends.

At the time of his death, Zampella was an executive vice president at Electronic Arts, where he oversaw the development and recent launch of Battlefield 6.

In a social media post, The Game Awards creator Geoff Keighley described Zampella as “a titan of the video game industry” and a close friend.

“He leaves behind an incredible legacy of work,” Keighley said.”And while he created some of the most influential games of our time, I always felt he still had his greatest one ahead of him. It’s heartbreaking that we’ll never get to play it.”