Vince Zampella, one of the creators behind bestselling video games such as Call of Duty, has been killed in a car accident at the age of 55. Video game company Electronic Arts confirmed Zampella died Sunday following a high-speed collision in the San Gabriel Mountains. Authorities reported the 2026 Ferrari 296 GTS Zampella was driving veered off the road and struck a concrete barrier before being engulfed in flames.

In 2010, Zampella founded Respawn Entertainment, a subsidiary of EA, and he also served as the former chief executive of Infinity Ward, the studio behind the massive Call of Duty franchise. A spokesperson for Electronic Arts said in a statement on Monday that Mr Zampella’s influence on the video game industry was “profound and far-reaching.”

The Electronic Arts statement said: “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.”

One of Mr Zampella’s crowning achievements was the creation of the Call of Duty franchise, which has sold more than 500 million games worldwide.

The first-person shooter debuted in 2003 as a World War II simulation, with subsequent versions defining the modern warfare genre. A live-action movie based on the game is currently in production with Paramount Pictures.

In recent years, Mr Zampella was at the helm of the action-adventure titles Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.

Geoff Keighley, video game journalist and co-creator of The Game Awards, said he was shocked to hear of Mr Zampella’s sudden death.

Keighley wrote on social media: “Vince was an extraordinary person — a gamer at heart, but also a visionary executive with a rare ability to recognise talent and give people the freedom and confidence to create something truly great.

“And while he created some of the most influential games of our time, I always felt he still had his greatest one ahead of him. It’s heartbreaking that we’ll never get to play it.”