Vince Zampella, video game pioneer behind Call of Duty, dead at 55

Vince Zampella, one of the creators behind such best-selling video games as Call of Duty, has died. He was 55.

Video game company Electronic Arts said Zampella died Sunday. The company did not disclose a cause of death.

In 2010, Zampella founded Respawn Entertainment, a subsidiary of EA, and he also was the former chief executive of video game developer Infinity Ward, the studio behind the successful Call of Duty franchise.

A spokesperson for Electronic Arts said in a statement on Monday that Zampella's influence on the video game industry was "profound and far-reaching."

"A friend, colleague, leader and visionary creator, his work helped shape modern interactive entertainment and inspired millions of players and developers around the world. His legacy will continue to shape how games are made and how players connect for generations to come," a company spokesperson wrote.

One of Zampella's crowning achievements was the creation of the Call of Duty franchise, which has sold more than half a billion games worldwide.

The first-person shooter game debuted in 2003 as a Second World War simulation and has sold over 500 million copies globally. Subsequent versions have delved into modern warfare and there is a live-action movie based on the game in production with Paramount Pictures.

In recent years, Zampella has been at the helm of the creation of the action adventure video games Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.