A red Ferrari left the road on a scenic stretch of Angeles Crest Highway on Sunday, and by midday two people were dead. Among the fatalities, multiple outlets and industry sources identified Vince Zampella — the veteran game developer who co-created Call of Duty and co-founded Respawn Entertainment — though some details about which occupant was which have not been publicly clarified by authorities.
What happened
The California Highway Patrol says the single‑car crash was reported around 12:45 p.m. on the winding road north of Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Mountains. According to the CHP and local reporting, the southbound car veered off the road, struck a concrete barrier and caught fire. The driver was trapped and pronounced dead at the scene; a passenger was ejected and later died at a hospital. A witness provided video of the crash involving a 2026 Ferrari 296 GTS, a high‑performance hybrid sports car capable of more than 800 horsepower.
Law enforcement and news organizations say Zampella was among those killed. NBC Los Angeles reported the identification, and major gaming outlets that spoke with industry contacts and EA/Respawn employees have corroborated his death. EA, Respawn and Zampella’s family had not released public statements at the time this story was compiled.
Why the industry is taking notice
If confirmed, the loss is seismic for modern game development. Zampella was a central figure behind some of the most influential shooter franchises of the past two decades. He co‑founded Infinity Ward in 2002 and helped launch Call of Duty, a series that has sold hundreds of millions of copies worldwide and reshaped multiplayer design and the commercial model for big‑budget games.
After a very public split with Activision in 2010 — a dispute that included lawsuits over royalties and team departures — Zampella co‑founded Respawn Entertainment. Under his leadership Respawn produced Titanfall, Titanfall 2, Apex Legends and the single‑player Star Wars Jedi titles. EA later acquired Respawn, and Zampella rose to broader responsibilities inside the publisher, eventually becoming the lead on its Battlefield franchise. That series' most recent entry, Battlefield 6, helped stabilize the brand after earlier stumbles and has been part of EA’s efforts to shift the franchise’s trajectory in recent years; readers can find more on those changes in our piece about Battlefield 6’s post‑launch updates and challenge overhaul.
Zampella’s career threaded together creative design, studio leadership and franchise stewardship — roles that meant his influence extended from core mechanics to hiring and mentoring dozens of developers now spread across the industry.
The human side — and the wider fallout
Colleagues and competitors alike often described Zampella as intense, driven and relentlessly focused on player experience. The professional arc from Medal of Honor designer, to Infinity Ward lead, to Respawn founder and EA executive reads like the modern history of mainstream first‑person shooters.
Beyond games themselves, the ecosystem that grew around blockbuster shooters — esports scenes, streaming ecosystems and platform business deals — will feel the ripple. The commercial competition between franchises like Call of Duty and Battlefield plays out not only in sales but in distribution and subscription strategies; for example, Microsoft's recent moves to fold major titles into Game Pass reshaped launch conversations across the industry and influenced how big publishers plan windows and partnerships during the same season when other major shooters appeared on subscription services. And for console players who still anchor these experiences, upgrades to hardware and streaming options continue to matter — whether you're on portable setups or a full console, platforms shape how audiences discover and keep playing (many console owners still consider the PlayStation 5 Pro Console when thinking about next‑gen performance).
What’s still unknown
Investigators have not publicly released a detailed cause for the crash beyond the CHP’s initial account of the vehicle leaving the roadway and colliding with a barrier. Toxicology, speed, road conditions and other forensic details typically take weeks to determine. Officials and company spokespeople had not immediately commented on whether Zampella was the driver or the passenger.
Respawn Entertainment and EA were contacted for comment; industry partners and former colleagues are expected to make statements in the coming days.
A single car on a mountain road, a blazing wreck and the sudden silence that follows when a name familiar to millions is connected to an accident — the games Zampella helped shape will continue to be played, argued over and modified for years. But stories like this remind an industry built on collaboration and long development cycles how quickly the people behind the pixels can be taken from the work and from each other.