Vince Zampella, a video game developer who co-created or helmed some of the world's most popular franchises, died in a car crash on a Los Angeles freeway on Sunday, December 21 at 12:45 a.m. Pacific Time. He was 55 years old.
According to the California Highway Patrol, Zampella was in a car on Angeles Crest Highway when the vehicle left the road and struck a concrete barrier. As far as we know, no other vehicles were involved in the accident.
A passenger was thrown from the car, while the driver was trapped after the car caught fire. The driver died at the scene and the passenger died after being taken to hospital. The report did not indicate whether Zampella was the passenger or the driver.
Angeles Crest Highway is a scenic road beneath the San Gabriel Mountains on the east side of LA and is often used for recreational Sunday driving. The vehicle involved in the crash was a 2026 Ferrari 296 GTS.
A legendary career in game development
Early in his career, Zampella worked at SegaSoft and Panasonic, and was the lead designer on the influential World War II shooter. Medal of Honor: Allied Assaultwhich came out in 2002. But it was the famous studio Infinity Ward that made him a household name for gamers. In 2002, he co-founded Infinity Ward with Jason West and Grant Collier.
