Vince Zampella, video game developer behind 'Call of Duty', killed in Ferrari crash

Video game developer Vince Zampella, whose studios have created several of the world's best-selling games, was killed Sunday afternoon in a Ferrari crash on Southern California's Angeles Crest Highway, NBC4 Investigates has learned.

Zampella, an acclaimed figure in the video game industry, is the head of Respawn Entertainment. The prolific designer is the former CEO of video game developers Infinity Ward, the studio behind the successful "Call of Duty" franchise.

The single-car crash was reported at about 12:45 p.m. on the scenic road north of Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Mountains. The southbound Ferrari veered off the road just after exiting a tunnel, hit a concrete barrier and a passenger was ejected, the California Highway Patrol said.

The driver, Zampella, was trapped in the ensuing car fire, the CHP said. He died at the scene and the passenger died at a hospital, authorities told NBC4 Investigates. Details about the passenger's identity were not immediately available.

Details about what led to the crash off the winding forest road overlooking Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley also were not immediately available.

Zampella, 55, co-founded Chatsworth-based Respawn Entertainment in 2010. The studio was acquired by video game giant EA in 2017. Respawn Entertainment is best known for the video games "Titanfall," "Titanfall 2," "Apex Legends" and "STAR WARS Jedi: Fallen Order."

Zampella also led an EA studio team based in Playa Vista behind the "Battlefield" video game franchise.