In Call Of Duty Founder's Ferrari Accident, A Paul Walker Porsche Crash Reminder

Vince Zampella, the acclaimed co-creator of the "Call of Duty" video game series, has died in a car crash in California. He was 55. His death was confirmed by Electronic Arts, which owns Respawn Entertainment, a game studio he co-founded. 

Officers said Zampella was travelling in a Ferrari with another person when it crashed and caught fire on a scenic road north of Los Angeles.

"For unknown reasons, the vehicle veered off the roadway, struck a concrete barrier, and became fully engulfed," the California Highway Patrol (CHP) said in a statement, without identifying the victims in the crash.

The CHP added that both the driver and a passenger who was ejected from the vehicle succumbed to their injuries. It remains unclear if Zampella was driving the car and who the other person was inside the vehicle with him. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

A video of the mangled cherry-red Ferrari, engulfed in flames, on the mountain road was shared on social media.

The creator of Call of Duty and Battlefield 6 was killed in a car crash

Vince Zampella lost control of his Ferrari as it exited a tunnel, crashed into a barrier, and caught fire.

Zampella was driving and died at the scene. The passenger was thrown from the car by the impact and… pic.twitter.com/k87Mz0XrDe

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) December 23, 2025

Another clip showed the moment the 2026 Ferrari 296 GTS skidded off the road and rammed into a mountain wall. 

A Paul Walker Reminder

Zampella's tragic death was a grim reminder of the 2013 fiery Porsche crash that claimed actor Paul Walker's life. The 40-year-old "Fast & Furious" star was riding as a passenger in a friend's Porsche Carrera GT when it hit a pole and burst into flames in Los Angeles on 30 November 2013.

Walker, with his friend Roger Rodas, had taken what was supposed to be a quick ride in Rodas's car on a clear afternoon from a fundraiser benefiting Reach Out Worldwide, a Walker charity that gives first-response aid to victims of natural disasters. 

The crash occurred near the fundraiser in the community of Valencia, and friends of the men raced to the scene.

After a four-month investigation, the police said the Porsche was travelling at 94 mph (151 km/h), much above the speed limit, when it hit a lamp post with a 45 mph speed limit sign. Walker and Rodas died at the scene.

Investigators with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and the California Highway Patrol concluded that unsafe speed, not mechanical problems, caused the crash. Post-crash investigation also found that the car had an exhaust system modified for greater speed. Three of its tyres were also nine years old when they should have been changed after four, which meant "the drivability and handling characteristics ... may have been compromised," according to a report by The Guardian.

Later, an unidentified witness told the British publication that she saw the Porsche "'jiggling back and forth in [its] lane like the driver was jiggling the steering" just before the crash.

Autopsies showed both men were sober and wore seatbelts, and the cars' airbags had deployed.

Rodas was reportedly Walker's financial adviser. The two men had bonded over their shared love of fast cars and co-owned a racing team named after Walker's high-end vehicle performance shop, Always Evolving. Rodas also drove professionally for the team in the Pirelli World Challenge circuit in 2013.

Walker, meanwhile, starred in all but one of the six Fast & Furious films – movies known to glorify muscular cars and risky driving. Walker had been filming the seventh instalment of the franchise when he died.

About Vince Zampella

Zampella was best known for co-creating the "Call of Duty" franchise and founding Respawn Entertainment, the studio behind "Titanfall", "Apex Legends", and the "Star Wars Jedi" games.

After starting out in the 1990s as a designer on shooter games, he co-founded Infinity Ward in 2002 and helped launch "Call of Duty" in 2003. Activision later acquired his studio.

He left Activision under contentious circumstances and established Respawn in 2010, which Electronic Arts acquired in 2017.

At EA, he eventually took charge of revitalising the "Battlefield" franchise, cementing his reputation as one of the most influential figures in modern first-person shooter games.

"This is an unimaginable loss, and our hearts are with Vince's family, his loved ones, and all those touched by his work," Electronic Arts said in a statement.

"Vince's influence on the video game industry was profound and far-reaching," the company said, adding that "his work helped shape modern interactive entertainment."