Vince Zampella, Co-Creator of Call of Duty, Dies at 55
Vince Zampella, the former CEO of Infinity Ward, co-creator of the Call of Duty franchise, and the visionary head of EA-owned Respawn Entertainment, has reportedly died following a traffic collision in Los Angeles. He was 55.
News broke late last night from NBC Los Angeles that Zampella was involved in a fatal single-vehicle crash on the Southern California Angeles Crest Highway on December 21, 2025.
Zampella was not just a studio head; he was the industry’s most reliable hit-maker in the FPS genre. His passing leaves a massive void at the helm of Respawn and the broader Battlefield franchise he was tasked with saving.
Tributes are flooding in from every corner of the gaming world. From former Infinity Ward colleagues to the millions of fans who log into Apex daily.
COD & Respawn: Defining the Modern FPS
Vince’s resume is essentially the history of the 21st-century shooter. He co-founded Infinity Ward after working on Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, and shattered sales records with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, a game that standardized the controls and progression systems used by nearly every shooter today.
After the historic split from Activision, he co-founded Respawn Entertainment. There, he proved his genius wasn’t a fluke, launching the critically acclaimed Titanfall and later pivoting to dominate the Battle Royale market with Apex Legends.
His ability to identify the “30-second fun loop” was unmatched. Whether it was wall-running in Titanfall or squad-pinging in Kings Canyon, Zampella’s influence and ability to create new mechanics have defined the genre for decades to come.
A Legacy That Will Endure
Vince Zampella changed how we aim, how we move, and how we play together. His DNA is permanently encoded into the mechanics of modern gaming. While the industry mourns a special figure, his influence will survive in every slide-cancel, prestige mode, and hero shooter released in the coming decades.
Fueled by a passion for gaming and the ever-evolving world of gaming news, Daniel loves connecting with seasoned and new players to bring games to life on the page, exploring their narratives and gaming trends. A self-published fiction and fantasy author, Daniel has nearly 20 years of experience writing gaming news and a love for storytelling that drives his enthusiasm to deliver breaking news, in-depth analysis, and industry innovations. You will find him in-game as "Windfell."
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