Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 features a dedicated screen in its credits honoring Vince Zampella, one of the creators of the original Call of Duty and founder of Infinity Ward studio.
The screen displays a short message: "In memoriam — Vince Zampella".
Zampella died in a car accident in December 2025, two months after the release of Battlefield 6. Under his leadership, the Battlefield series began to regain lost ground after the unsuccessful launch of Battlefield 2042. Battlefield 6 achieved significant commercial success, selling over seven million copies in its first three days after release and setting a franchise record for launch sales.
Although Zampella had not been involved in Call of Duty development for over 15 years, his contribution to the series' creation is hard to overestimate. In the late 1990s, he worked as a graphic designer, gaining widespread recognition for Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, where he served as lead designer.
After the game's release, Zampella, along with Grant Collier and Jason West, founded Infinity Ward. The studio struck a deal with Activision to create a shooter that could surpass Medal of Honor. The result was Call of Duty — one of the most successful gaming franchises in history. Zampella led Infinity Ward during the release of several installments in the series, including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in 2009.
However, the collaboration with Activision ended in conflict: in 2010, Zampella and West were fired amidst a high-profile dispute, which included unpaid bonuses for Modern Warfare 2. After this, they founded Respawn Entertainment.
Under Zampella's leadership, Respawn released Titanfall, Titanfall 2, Apex Legends, and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. In 2017, the studio was acquired by Electronic Arts. Later, Zampella headed the DICE division in Los Angeles, and in 2021, he was given responsibility for the development of the Battlefield series.