Call of Duty co-creator Vince Zampella killed in car crash

Vince Zampella, the co-creator of Call of Duty, passed away in California in a car crash that occurred on December 21, 2025. Zampella was the head of Respawn Entertainment and the founder of Infinity Ward. The accident was initially reported by NBC Los Angeles.

According to the California Highway Patrol, Vince Zampella was involved in a single-car crash that took the lives of two individuals. Here's more.

Co-creator of Call of Duty and head of the Battlefield franchise, Vince Zampella, passed away in California

The car crash involved a 2026 Ferrari 296 GTS and occurred on December 21, 2025, at 12:45 pm local time. According to the accounts of the California Highway Patrol, the car may have veered off-road and collided with a concrete barrier on a road north of Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Mountains.

Furthermore, the accounts given by the patrolmen also suggest that the driver got trapped in the car fire and passed away. Meanwhile, a passenger was reportedly ejected from the car and sustained fatal injuries, dying in a nearby hospital later on.

It is currently unclear whether Vince Zampella was the driver or the passenger. He was one of the key co-creators of the Call of Duty franchise and was also recently made the head of the Battlefield franchise by EA.

Vince Zampella helped create incredible titles such as Titanfall and Apex Legends thanks to Respawn Entertainment, a studio he founded with fellow CoD developer, Jason West. He was truly a legend in the industry, and his absence will be felt by colleagues and co-creators who crossed paths with him throughout his career.

Details around Zampella's exact date and time of passing also remain obscure as of the time of writing.

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Edited by Prit Chauhan