Vince Zampella, the game executive who co-created Call of Duty, died in a crash on Angeles Crest Highway in Los Angeles County on December 21, 2025. The California Highway Patrol’s preliminary account said the car left the road for unknown reasons. A medical-examiner finding reported in April 2026 established his cause of death, but did not explain why the car left the roadway.
What happened on Angeles Crest Highway
The crash occurred near milepost 62.70 on Sunday, December 21, 2025. The California Highway Patrol said it received a call at about 12:43 p.m. Its preliminary account, reported by the Los Angeles Times, said a southbound vehicle left the roadway for unknown reasons, struck a concrete barrier and caught fire. The passenger was ejected; the driver remained trapped. Both died.
Contemporary coverage identified the vehicle as a red 2026 Ferrari 296 GTS. The CHP account did not determine what caused the car to leave the road. Reports at the time said it was unclear whether drugs or alcohol were factors; neither impairment nor a final crash-cause finding is established by the cited accounts. Video or descriptions of the car do not resolve that question.
What the medical examiner reported about Zampella’s death
In an April 22, 2026 report, the Los Angeles Times said the Los Angeles County medical examiner listed thermal injuries and smoke inhalation as Zampella’s cause of death, with blunt trauma also present. The report identified the passenger as Zachary Marks and said he died of blunt force injuries. These findings describe the fatal injuries; they do not establish why the Ferrari left the roadway.
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EA confirmed his death
Electronic Arts confirmed Zampella’s death. A company representative told the Los Angeles Times that “Vince’s influence on the video game industry was profound and far-reaching.” Zampella was a prominent game executive whose studios helped shape several major franchises.
Why Zampella mattered to video games
Call of Duty and Infinity Ward
Zampella co-founded Infinity Ward with Jason West and Grant Collier in 2002. The studio released the first Call of Duty game in 2003. He was a co-creator of the franchise, not its sole creator. The Associated Press reported in December 2025 that Call of Duty had sold more than 500 million copies globally; that is the AP’s reported figure, not a current independently verified sales tally.
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Respawn Entertainment
After his split from Activision, Zampella and West founded Respawn Entertainment in 2010. Respawn’s work included the Titanfall series, Apex Legends and the Star Wars Jedi games.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What remains unknown about the crash
The early CHP account described the vehicle’s departure from the road as happening “for unknown reasons.” The later medical-examiner findings addressed injuries and cause of death, not the cause of the crash. The cited reporting does not establish a final explanation for why the car left the roadway.
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Contemporary reports described Zampella as 55, while the April 2026 Los Angeles Times article called him 56. The available reports do not resolve that discrepancy with a primary birth record, so his age is not stated here.
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- GLOBE‑SPANNING CAMPAIGN — Fight across the Korean Peninsula, New York, Paris, and Mumbai in a high‑stakes narrative where global conflict escalates and survival depends on tactical precision.
- MULTIPLAYER BUILT ON CONTROL — Engage in grounded, precise combat where fluid movement, player choice, and refined mechanics give you greater control in every firefight.
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- BONUS 2X OFFER — Purchase Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 at Amazon and receive 5 hours of Double XP.**
- PRE-ORDER BONUS — Pre-order and unlock the Hunter Killer Operator Skin and the Gilded Pearl Camo Pack.*
- GLOBE‑SPANNING CAMPAIGN — Fight across the Korean Peninsula, New York, Paris, and Mumbai in a high‑stakes narrative where global conflict escalates and survival depends on tactical precision.
- MULTIPLAYER BUILT ON CONTROL — Engage in grounded, precise combat where fluid movement, player choice, and refined mechanics give you greater control in every firefight.
- TACTICAL DMZ OPERATIONS — Deploy behind enemy lines as an off‑the‑books asset, making high‑risk decisions on objectives and extraction in a dynamic mode where every run counts.
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