Vince Zampella, Co-Founder of Infinity Ward and Respawn Entertainment, as well as one of the minds behind many series including Medal of Honor, Call of Duty, Titanfall, Star Wars Jedi, and Battlefield 6 has tragically passed away as the result of injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident in Los Angeles, California. He was 55 and leaves behind three children.
While not much is known about his personal life, what is known is that Vince was one of the brilliant minds of the gaming industry. After working his way into the industry through a friend of his, he had stints at GameTek, Atari, and Panasonic Interactive Media before joining SegaSoft and meeting his future business partner Jason West.
In May 2002, Zampella and West started Infinity Ward together and, through a partnership with Activision, changed the industry with the Call of Duty Series. Although that partnership would fall apart over the years, it’s with Respawn Entertainment that Vince and Jason would once again change the game with Titanfall and its sequel Titanfall 2. Following that, Respawn revitalized the Star Wars game series with the Star Wars Jedi series.
His Résumé speaks for itself; wherever Vince Zampella went, success and innovation followed. He’s someone who is irreplaceable in this industry and the loss of him will be felt for years to come.
Tributes have poured out throughout social media. In a collective statement, Respawn Entertainment says “We will remember Vince for how he showed up every day, trusting his teams, encouraging bold ideas, and believing in Respawn & Battlefield. Most importantly, he championed what he believed was right for the people behind those studios and our players because it mattered.”
Infinity Ward also issued a statement, in which they said “As one of the founders of Infinity Ward and Call of Duty, you will always have a special place in our history.”
In an interview with Axios, Vince, who is known to be a blunt person, said this when talking about what makes a game great. In talking about the development of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, He said, “The story can be great, and it has to be great, (especially in Star Wars, right?) But if it doesn’t feel good, who cares?”
Vince Zampella, 1970-2025
Rest in Peace
*Sources are linked in the article
