Call Of Duty Creator Vince Zampella's Final Instagram Post Is Heartbreaking Now

Vince Zampella, co-founder of Infinity Ward and one of the creators of "Call of Duty," died on December 21, 2025. Zampella died in a car crash just north of Los Angeles in the early afternoon. He was 55 years old at the time. 

Fans have been following Zampella's career since he co-founded Infinity Ward in 2002. He's responsible for some of the best video games of all time, and gamers have been flocking to social media to pay their respects. People who rushed to Zampella's personal social media feeds discovered a heartbreaking detail: His final post, made on October 22, 2025, was about celebrating sports cars and his recent experience at a Formula 1 racing event in Austin. 

"Thank you for amazing games. Thank you for the childhood," wrote one fan in a recent comment on that post. "Rest easy man, thanks for everything," wrote another. Zampella's Instagram feed is full of posts about sports cars and racing, which makes it especially devastating that a crash is what took his life. The entire gaming world is heartbroken, but Zampella leaves behind a legacy that will undoubtedly last for generations. 

Details about the crash that killed Vince Zampella are scarce at the time of this writing, but authorities have confirmed that Zampella was driving a 2026 Ferrari 296 GTS headed southbound on a scenic road near the San Gabriel Mountains, north of Los Angeles. The Ferrari swerved off the road for unknown reasons and smashed into a concrete barrier. The impact ejected the passenger, who later died at a hospital. According to the California Highway Patrol, the vehicle itself burst into flames shortly after the crash, killing Zampella, who was trapped in the vehicle. A witness reportedly captured the incident on a video, which was given to the police.

We know from his social media posts that Zampella was a sports car aficionado and enthusiastic driver, but for now, it's unclear if the Ferrari that crashed on December 21 was his or not. We also don't know the name of the person who was in the car with Zampella. Either way, the circumstances surrounding Zampella's death are tragic, and fans are wishing his family the best. 

Vince Zampella may have died, but he left an impression on the gaming industry that will live on. His career, which began back in the 1990s when he worked for Atari and Sega, is nothing short of legendary. Zampella became a more widely-known figure after he co-founded Infinity Ward with Grant Collier and Jason West in 2002. That studio created the "Call of Duty" franchise, which on its own would be enough to cement Zampella's place in gaming history.

Incredibly, "Call of Duty" was just the beginning. After a contentious break with publisher Activision, Zampella left Infinity Ward to found Respawn Entertainment in 2010, where he's been working ever since. Respawn is the studio behind beloved games like "Titanfall," "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order," and "Battlefield." Zampella's work at Respawn has arguably outshined the early parts of his careers, and Respawn's most recent game, "Battlefield 6," is giving "Call of Duty" a run for its money. Zampella helped create some of the most exciting and enduring gaming franchises of all time, and his presence in the industry will be sorely missed.