Vince Zampella, the co-founder of Infinity Ward and one of the leading figures behind the first Call of Duty game, has passed away. Zampella was reportedly in a single-car accident on Sunday, December 21 in the San Gabriel Mountains when the vehicle went off the road and hit a concrete barrier.
According to NBC4 Los Angeles, the driver of the vehicle perished in a car fire while the passenger was ejected and died at the hospital. The report didn’t share any further specifics about the incident.
Zampella got his start in the video game industry in the late ’90s with stints at GameTek, Atari, Interactive Media/Ripcord Games, and SegaSoft. In 1999, he joined 2015 Inc and became the lead designer of the third Medal of Honor game, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, which was published by EA.
Following a dispute with EA, Zampella, Grant Collier, and Jason West co-founded Infinity Ward and partnered with Activision before launching the Call of Duty franchise in 2003. “The only reason that Call of Duty exists is because EA were dicks,” said Zampella during a recent interview.
Zampella and West remained at Activision until 2010 when they were fired by the company over alleged insubordination. The pair subsequently filed a lawsuit against Activision that was settled out of court for undisclosed terms. They went on to co-founded Respawn Entertainment, which released titles including Apex Legends, Titanfall, and the Star Wars Jedi games. Respawn was ultimately purchased by EA.
EA put Zampella in charge of DICE in 2020 with a mandate to revitalize the Battlefield franchise. Those efforts paid off earlier this year when Battlefield 6 was released to great acclaim and higher-then expected sales numbers.
Zampella had a major impact on the games industry, with many sharing memories of him on social media. You can find a selection of those tributes below.
Vince was awesome. A real one – chill, but with a strong will and powerful heart. We have been friends for a long time and he and my wife Kristy were very close – confidants and allies. He leaves behind great children and many who love and respect him. When we were respectful…
— Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) December 22, 2025
Vince Zampella was influential in first person shooters. Having been a fan of his since I was a kid, I was honoured he took an interest in and chatted to us about Battalion 1944.
A remake of his games.
— Joe Brammer (@Brammertron) December 22, 2025
Vince Zampella was not just an amazing game creator. He was also a friend.
In absolute shock right now. Rest in peace to an absolute legend and giant of our industry. pic.twitter.com/acqJxlD1u1
— JP Kellams (@synaesthesiajp) December 22, 2025
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.
I saw that up close while writing The Final Hours of Titanfall. I’ll always be…
— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) December 22, 2025
When Kristy got the call from Coco (Vince’s daughter), she just started balling and I knew what was coming. I cannot console her. I can’t console myself. It’s so, so, so fucked.
— Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) December 22, 2025
this is awful. I am so sorry to hear this. Cannot believe it. Vince was a legend and a force behind some of the greatest games ever made. Don’t even know what to say. https://t.co/b1xHPr98Bs
— David Goldfarb (@locust9) December 22, 2025
I just saw that Vince Zampella passed away yesterday in a car crash. I had to read it multiple times to believe it. He was an amazing mentor and friend. He will be sorely missed. My heart goes out to his family. RIP my friend!
— Mark Rubin (@PixelsofMark) December 22, 2025
Image credit: Getty Images/Barry Brecheisen
