Vince Zampella, Director of Battlefield franchise and co-founder of Respawn Entertainment, has passed away as a result of a car accident at the age of 55. The leading figure in a studio behind one of the most successful FPS franchises of all time, Zampella leaves behind three children, along with a legacy that includes Battlefield series and many other games.
Zampella began his career in the 1990s, testing unreleased games and fielding phone calls for a small, independent development studio. He later went on to work in graphic design at Florida-based studio GameTek, and his career led him to roles at a number of prominent companies, including classic developers such as Atari, Panasonic and SegaSoft.
Respawn's Vince Zampella leads DICE LA, creating an original game
Electronic Arts is letting Respawn CEO Vince Zampella take over the leadership of DICE LA to help the studio make its first original game.
Respawn Entertainment co-founder Vince Zampella passes away at age 55
According to a report by NBC Los Angeles, Zampella was identified as the driver of a single vehicle accident at approximately 12:45 a.m. on December 21, 2025, on a highway through the San Gabriel Mountains. The California Highway Patrol report indicates the vehicle left the road and struck a concrete barrier, ejecting the single occupant, while Zampella was trapped in the vehicle, which caught fire. Information has not been released about why the vehicle left the road, but police reports confirm that Zampella died at the scene and that the unidentified passenger was later pronounced dead at a hospital. Many figures from the video game industry have been shocked by Zampella's death and have publicly expressed their sympathy for the family, including longtime The Game Awards host Geoff Keighley.
Some of Zampella's biggest achievements in the industry came during his time working on games Call of Duty franchise, which came to life as a result of some of his previous work. Around the turn of the century, Zampella worked for 2015 Inc. on Medal of Honor series. Along with Grant Collier and Jason West, he founded Infinity Ward in May 2022, and not long after, the studio was acquired by Activision. The following year, Call of Duty was released as Infinity Ward's first game. While he was involved in the development of several projects with the franchise before leaving Activision in early 2010, he left an extra special mark on the first two games in the series, which bear his name as producer.
After that departure, Zampella and West went on to found Respawn Entertainment. West left after only about three years with that company, leaving Zampella alone at the top of its leadership. Although no games were released during the three-year time frame, the development studio continued with some classic hits, including Battle Royale Hero Shooter Apex Legends and robust action-adventure games Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars: Jedi Survivor. However, Respawn's original claim to fame was Titanfall series, and while that IP address has now been dormant for nearly a decade, there are persistent rumors that Titanfall 3 may come in 2026.
But modern day fans will most likely see the mark Zampella has left on it Battlefield series. Since 2021, Zampella had worked as director of Battlefield franchise. Expressing his opinion that the last game release before his appointment, Battlefield 2042had veered too far off course from what has made the series so beloved by its fan base, Zampella still oversaw the creation of several add-ons to that game after launch. But his biggest impact on the series wouldn't be felt until October 2025. Battlefield 6 has dominated the sales charts under Zampella's leadership, with the Steam Charts registering an all-time high of more than 656,000 players in its release month. It also received a total of three nominations at The Game Awards 2025, including one for Best Action Game, and managed to take home the trophy for Best Sound Design.
