Call of Duty co-creator Vince Zampella dies in California car crash

Vince Zampella, co-creator 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, which owns Respawn Entertainment, the game studio he co-founded.

The influential video game developer was driving a Ferrari with another person on Sunday when it crashed and burst into flames on a Los Angeles freeway.

An Electronic Arts spokesman told the BBC: “This is an unimaginable loss and our hearts go out to Vince’s family, his loved ones and everyone who was touched by his work.”

The person in the passenger seat of the vehicle was ejected, while the driver remained trapped, officials said. It was unclear whether Zampella was driving the vehicle and who the other person in the vehicle was.

Both people in the car died.

“For unknown reasons, the vehicle veered off the road, struck a concrete barrier and was completely engulfed,” the California Highway Patrol said in a statement to the BBC.

In 2003, Zampella co-created Line of Duty with his long-time collaborators Jason West and Grant Collier.

Inspired in part by the events of World War II, the game has sold more than 500 million copies, making owner Microsoft-owned Activision Blizzard one of the most profitable gaming companies. It also spawned an upcoming live-action movie.

The Call of Duty franchise isn’t his only success. He has also worked on other popular games, including Medal of Honor, Titanfall, and Apex Legend.

“He really cares about the player experience, he cares about making games, he cares about how people feel when they play games, and you feel that every time you talk to him,” Kezza McDonald, video games editor at The Guardian, told the BBC Newshour.

In 2010, Zampella and West were fired by Activision, the company that publishes the Call of Duty games, and the two subsequently became embroiled in a long-running dispute with the company that was settled out of court in 2012.

At Electronic Arts, Zampella worked on Battlefield 6, a game considered a direct competitor to Call of Duty.

Infinity Ward, the US company that develops Call of Duty, said Zampella “will always hold a special place in our history.”

“Your legacy of creating iconic, lasting entertainment is immeasurable,” the company said in a statement from X.