Vince Zampella, studio head behind Call of Duty and Titanfall, killed in car crash

Vince Zampella, who co-created the Call of Duty series and lead some of the most influential game development studios of the modern console era, has died in a car crash in California, according to a report by NBC Los Angeles.

The executive, 55, was in a 2026 Ferrari 296 GTS which crashed on a mountain road north of Los Angeles and subsequently caught fire. Both driver and passenger died, according to the NBC report, which cited the California Highway Patrol.

Zampella was Executive Vice President at EA and founder of Respawn Entertainment, the studio he founded with long-term business partner Jason West in 2010, and which had produced Titanfall, Apex Legends, Jedi Fallen Order and Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond.

The two had founded Infinity Ward along with Grant Collier in 2002, which went on to create the phenomenally successful Call of Duty franchise for Activision. Developed by the core team behind the then market-leading Medal of Honor franchise, 2003’s Call of Duty was initially a hit on PC which spawned multiple sequels across all platforms. The franchise sold over 500 million copies and defined the modern first-person shooter market.

After an acrimonious split with the publisher in 2010 West and Zampella formed Respawn, which was acquired by EA in 2017. West departed in 2013.

Zampella subsequently rose to a senior role at EA, overseeing both Respawn and Ripple Effect Studios, the studio formerly known as DICE LA.