Washington, Dec 23: Vince Zampella, the acclaimed video game developer best known for co-creating the global hit game "Call of Duty," has died in a car accident in Southern California. He was 55.

The fatal crash happened on Sunday afternoon, December 21, on the scenic Angeles Crest Highway north of Los Angeles. Zampella was driving a 2026 Ferrari 296 GTS when, shortly after exiting a tunnel on the winding mountain road, "For unknown reasons, the vehicle veered off the roadway, struck a concrete barrier, and became fully engulfed," the California Highway Patrol said in a statement. Zampella was pronounced dead at the scene, while a passenger later died at the hospital.

Zampella was a huge, influential figure in the video game industry. He began his career in the 1990s before co-founding Infinity Ward in 2002. At 'Infinity Ward', he helped launch the 'Call of Duty' franchise, which later became one of the best-selling video game series in history, and to this day, 'Call of Duty' boasts more than 100 million active players monthly.

After leaving Infinity Ward amid a high-profile dispute with its publisher, Zampella co-founded Respawn Entertainment in 2010. Respawn -- acquired by Electronics Arts (EA) in 2017 --went on to create major hits including Titanfall, Apex Legends, and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. In his later career, Zampella also led development on the Battlefield series under EA.

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In a statement following the crash, Electronic Arts described Zampella’s death as “an unimaginable loss,” praising his creativity, leadership, and the impact he had on the industry and millions of players around the world.

This story is compiled by Aditi Majhi.