Call of Duty mastermind Vince Zampella killed in car crash on LA mountain road

Video game mogul Vince Zampella has died in a Ferrari crash on a windy mountain road in Los Angeles.

The 55-year-old video game developer, who created the Call of Duty franchise, died on Sunday afternoon on Southern California’s Angeles Crest Highway.

Zampella was travelling in the car when it veered off the scenic road at around 12.45pm and hit a concrete barrier, NBC Los Angeles reports.

A passenger was reportedly ejected, while the driver became trapped in the ensuing car fire.

The driver died at the scene, and the passenger died in hospital. It is unclear if Zampella was the driver or passenger.

The circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation.

Zampella was the former CEO of video game developers Infinity Ward when he developed Call of Duty.

The game is one of the biggest gaming franchises ever and has sold more than 500 million copies.

He went on to become head of EA-owned Respawn Entertainment.

Zampella was behind the release of Battlefield 6 in October for EA Games, which was met with critical acclaim.

Donald Mustard, the co-creator of popular video game Fortnite, said he was ‘absolutely heartbroken’ by Zampella’s death.

He added: ‘Vince Zampella created and lead so much incredible entertainment and innovation in games over his legendary life.

‘My tears and condolences to his dear family, his friends, and his colleagues.

‘So grateful I got to see him last week. So grateful for the hugs and stories we shared.’

Southern California’s Angeles Crest Highway spans 65 miles (105km) and is a ‘scenic byway’ – a road primarily designed with the landscape in mind.

It winds its way towards the northeast through the Angeles Forest north of Los Angeles before ending at the ski resort of Wrightwood.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

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