One of the creators of the famous game “Call of Duty”, Vince Zampella, dead after crashing his Ferrari into a guardrail. The accident was filmed
“Call of Duty” co-creator Vince Zampella, an important figure in the world of video games, died Sunday at the age of 55 in a car accident in suburban Los Angeles, Electronic Arts (EA) announced Monday, reports[AFP[AFP
Vince Zampella was considered a pioneer of first-person shooter (FPS) games, selling hundreds of millions of copies.
“He really knew how to create stories and experiences that touch the essence of the human experience — whether it's terror, horror or heroism,” Gene Park, video game journalist at the Washington Post, told NBC4.
The developer and studio head of Respawn Entertainment was driving his Ferrari on a road in North Los Angeles on Sunday when the accident happened, according to NBC4.
“For unknown reasons, the vehicle left the roadway, struck a concrete guardrail and became fully engulfed in flames,” the California Highway Patrol said in a statement.
The accident, filmed
In footage obtained by TMZ, a red Ferrari can be seen speeding out of a tunnel on the Angeles Crest Freeway in Altadena, California. Soon, the sports car skids and crashes into the concrete barriers between the side of the road and the San Gabriel Mountains.
California Highway Patrol said there were two people in the car at the time of the crash: a passenger who was thrown from the car and Vince, who police say was trapped in the car. The video shows people pulling the passenger out of the burning car.
According to TMZ, the stretch of freeway where Zampella died is known as a place where people do all kinds of stunts with their cars.
The game “Call of Duty,” which Vince Zampella co-created, has more than 100 million monthly active players.
The sixth game in the “Battlefield” series, also in its portfolio, broke new records for this other franchise, which conquered more than 100 million players in twenty years.
“Vince's influence on the video game industry has been deep and far-reaching,” EA commented. His work “helped shape” modern gaming, according to the company, and “inspired millions of players and developers around the world.”
“A Titan”
Vince Zampella also founded Respawn Entertainment, the studio that produced “Titanfall,” “Apex Legends” and “Star Wars Jedi.”
Passionate about role-playing games, he became famous with the game “Medal of Honor: Allied Assault”, released in 2002, of which he was the main developer.
During the conception process, he collaborated with director Steven Spielberg, the originator of the “Medal of Honor” franchise.
That same year, Vince Zampella founded his own studio, Infinity Ward, along with two other video game designers, Jason West and Grant Collier.
Their first title was “Call of Duty”, an FPS game that marked a renewal of the genre. The game and its sequels have since sold over 500 million copies.
He founded his own company
After becoming the owner of Infinity Ward, Activision fired Vince Zampella and Jason West in 2010, who sued the company for wrongful termination and reached a settlement in 2012.
The two partners then created a new studio, Respawn Entertainment, which was bought by Electronic Arts in 2017.
In 2021, EA entrusted him with the “Battlefield” franchise, cementing his reputation as one of the most influential figures in first-person shooter gaming.
“It was a bold and transgressive method of storytelling, set in a political, violent and impactful moment,” pointed out Gene Park.
Journalist and Game Awards presenter Geoff Keighley hailed X as “a titan of the video game industry”.
Studio Respawn paid tribute to its founder on the X account of the “Battlefield” franchise, hailing “the way he came in every day, trusting his teams, encouraging bold ideas and believing in Battlefield and its creators.”
