Vince Zampella, one of the pioneers of the modern first-person shooter genre in video games, has passed away. He was the co-founder of Infinity Ward, which was responsible for creating Call of Duty, and headed Respawn Entertainment, the studio behind the Titanfall series and Apex Legends. His latest work included revamping the Battlefield series.
The death occurred as a result of a car crash, according to NBC Los Angeles. Both the driver and the passenger have passed away from the event. He had been driving a 2026 Ferrari 296 GTS when it veered off the road in the San Gabriel Mountains before impacting a concrete barrier.
In a statement to Kotaku, an EA representative said this about the loss:
"This is an unimaginable loss, and our hearts are with Vince’s family, his loved ones, and all those touched by his work. Vince’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. His legacy will continue to shape how games are made and how players connect for generations to come."
We"re heartbroken by the passing of our founder and dear friend Vince Zampella.
— Respawn (@Respawn) December 22, 2025
Vince was a titan and legend of this industry, a visionary leader and a force who shaped teams and games like Call of Duty, Titanfall, Apex Legends, the Star Wars Jedi series and Battlefield for our… pic.twitter.com/L51gG9tbRo
Zampella"s entry into the first-person shooter genre began with Medal of Honor: Allied Assault in 2002 under EA before going on to create Call of Duty under Activision, releasing Call of Duty, its sequel, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and Modern Warfare II through 2009. After a falling out with Activision, Zampella founded Respawn Entertainment in 2010 with Jason West, once again working with EA.
Respawn went on to release Titanfall and Titanfall 2 to critical acclaim and has since released Apex Legends, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. Most recently, following Battlefield 2042"s disappointing performance, EA put Zampella in charge of revitalizing the Battlefield franchise. This resulted in the release of Battlefield 6, the most successful game in the franchise so far, selling over seven million copies at launch.
It"s unclear what Zampella had been working on for the future. Another Star Wars Jedi from Respawn and further Battlefield projects would have been likely to come out of the studios under his leadership.