Call of Duty co-creator, Infinity Ward and Respawn Entertainment co-founder, and Battlefield head Vince Zampella dies aged 55

Vince Zampella, the co-creator of Call of Duty, founder of Respawn Entertainment, and head of EA’s Battlefield franchise died in a car crash on December 22nd. He was 55 years old.

“We’re heartbroken by the passing of our founder and dear friend Vince Zampella,” Respawn Entertainment said in a statement on Twitter. “Our hearts are with his family, friends, and all who love him.”

Zampella’s earliest credited work was as a producer at GameTek, but he rose to prominence when he joined 2015, Inc., working as development director on Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. The Second World War-set shooter made in collaboration with Stephen Spielberg was a huge success and EA attempted to bring the development team in-house. Instead of being absorbed by EA and working on the publisher’s series, Zampella, and fellow developers Jason West and Grant Collier left 2015, Inc. and formed Infinity Ward.

Backed by Activision, the studio began work on a project with a less than subtle codename: ‘Medal Of Honor Killer’.

Released in 2003, just a year after Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, Call of Duty was an immediate hit. Under Zampella, who worked as both a head of the studio and producer, the series continued to grow and the studio became a valuable cornerstone of Activision.

Following the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in 2009, Activision fired Zampella and fellow Infinity Ward founder Jason West, citing breaches of contract. Zampella and West sued Activision for unpaid royalties and following years of suit and countersuit, the publisher settled with the founders in 2012.

In that time, Zampella and West co-founded Respawn Entertainment with their old frenemy EA. Zampella remained with the studio until 2020, overseeing the release of Titanfall, Titanfall 2, Apex Legends, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and a return to Medal of Honor, with the VR title Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond.

In 2020, Zampella moved up within EA, taking over the LA branch of DICE. Then in 2021, he took over the Battlefield series. Under his leadership, the series has seen its largest launch to date and looks to be going toe-to-toe with Call of Duty in terms of player numbers.

To only look at a person’s career is to inevitably capture only a small part of the impact they had on the world, it says nothing of their family and friends, but there are few parts of modern gaming that haven’t been touched in some way by the games Zampella created – either in response to them or reaction to them. His loss will be felt by many.

“This is an unimaginable loss, and our hearts are with Vince’s family, his loved ones, and all those touched by his work,” EA wrote in a statement. “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.”