One of the creators of Call of Duty, Vince Zampella, has died after crashing his Ferrari on a Los Angeles highway. He was 55 years old.
Zampella was with another person in the car, who later died in the hospital, while Zampella died at the scene of the crash on Sunday.
According to NBC News, Electronic Arts released a statement hours later, hailing Zampella as a visionary whose “work helped shape modern interactive entertainment and inspired millions of players and developers around the world.”
“This is an unimaginable loss, and our hearts are with Vince’s family, his loved ones, and all those touched by his work,” EA said in a statement. “Vince’s influence on the video game industry was profound and far-reaching.”
The BBC reports that Zampella was travelling in a Ferrari with another person, when it crashed and caught fire on a highway in Los Angeles on Sunday.
Officials said the person in the vehicle’s passenger seat was ejected while the driver remained trapped. It is unclear if Zampella was driving the car and who the other person inside was.
The crash caught on camera
WARNING: Video disturbing – it shows the moment Zampella’s car crashed and moments after.
A bit about Zampella’s video game career
According to Fortune.com, in 2010, Zampella founded Respawn Entertainment, a subsidiary of EA, and was also the former chief executive of video game developer Infinity Ward, the studio behind the successful Call of Duty franchise.
Call of Duty has sold more than half a billion games worldwide.
As reported by NBC News, Respawn Entertainment created the Titanfall games, among others. EA acquired Respawn Entertainment in 2017.