KLIK SAJA - Vince Zampella, the figure behind the creation of the popular video game series Call of Duty, has died in a car accident in California at the age of 55.
Zampella’s death was confirmed by Electronic Arts (EA), the parent company of Respawn Entertainment, the game studio he co-founded with his longtime collaborators.
The influential game developer was reportedly traveling in a Ferrari with another person when the vehicle crashed and caught fire on a highway in Los Angeles last Sunday.
Authorities stated that the passenger seated in the front was ejected from the vehicle, while the driver remained trapped inside.
It has not yet been confirmed whether Zampella was driving the car or who the other occupant was. Both individuals were pronounced dead.
Zampella co-created Call of Duty in 2003 alongside his longtime collaborators Jason West and Grant Collier.
Partly inspired by events of World War II, the game has sold more than 500 million copies, making it one of the most successful video game franchises of all time.
Its publisher, Activision—now part of Microsoft—has become one of the most profitable gaming companies in the world. The Call of Duty franchise is also currently being developed into a live-action feature film.
The success of Call of Duty was not Zampella’s only achievement. He was also behind several other widely popular games, including Medal of Honor, Titanfall, and Apex Legends.
In 2010, Zampella and Jason West were fired from Activision, the publisher of Call of Duty. The two later became involved in a lengthy legal dispute with the company, which was ultimately settled out of court in 2012.
After joining Electronic Arts, Zampella worked on Battlefield 6, a title widely regarded as a direct competitor to Call of Duty.
Vince Zampella was born on October 1, 1970. After what he described as an “unsuccessful” stint at Broward College in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, he worked as a handyman.
A friend later helped him secure a job at a local game company, where he answered phones and tested game releases.
In a 1997 interview with Gamezilla, Zampella said he began his career in graphic design and digital video at GameTek, before moving to Atari to help launch the company’s PC division.