Josh has been playing video games for longer than he can remember, kicking things off with a Master System before upgrading to a Mega Drive. Covering the industry since 2018, if a game has a strong story – or even better, the decisions you make determine the course of that story – odds are he’s going to like it. Or, you know, put Sonic or Pikachu on the cover and that’ll get his attention too.
The gaming industry has been left shaken ahead of the holidays after tragic news broke on Monday, revealing Vince Zampella had passed away. Aged just 55, and someone who played a key role in creating some of the biggest video game franchises of all time, tributes for Zampella have been shared far and wide in the hours since reports confirmed he had died in a car accident.
Geoff Keighley, Randy Pitchford, And More React To The Passing Of Vince Zampella
Geoff Keighley was one of the first to share his feelings about Zampella, the Game Awards host’s initial post potentially the way in which many people discovered the awful news. “Vince was an extraordinary person — a gamer at heart, but also a visionary executive with a rare ability to recognize talent and give people the freedom and confidence to create something truly great,” Keighley’s post reads.
Andy McNamara, who worked with Zampella on the recently released Battlefield 6, shared a much briefer, but equally devastating tribute to Zampella. “The industry lost a legend. I lost a friend. RIP Vince. Gonna miss you,” McNamara’s post reads.
Gearbox and Borderlands boss Randy Pitchford noted that he and his wife have been friends with Zampella for years. Pitchford highlighted something that may have been overlooked or perhaps not known at all by some amid the shock of Zampella’s passing – that the video game veteran leaves behind three children.
“He leaves behind great children and many who love and respect him. When we were respectful competitors, we made each other better. When we were allies, it was even more powerful,” Pitchford writes. Former Epic COO, Donald Mustard, has also paid homage to Zampella, revealing that he met with him just last week. “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,” Mustard posted.
Zampella Helped Created Battlefield, Call Of Duty, And So Much More
Respawn, a studio Zampella co-founded and has helped build for the past 15 years, tweeted, “Vince was a titan and legend of this industry, a visionary leader and a force who shaped teams and games like Call of Duty, Titanfall, Apex Legends, the Star Wars Jedi series and Battlefield for our community in ways that will be felt for generations.”
Zampella was still working at Respawn right up until his passing, having shipped Battlefield 6 earlier this year, an entry that has revitalized a series Zampella helped shape.
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The list of series’ Respawn has shared alone demonstrates just how pivotal Zampella has been in carving a path for video games for the past three decades. The co-creator of Call of Duty, one of the minds behind Titanfall, and a key player in the Star Wars Jedi games, to name a few. It’s impossible to imagine what gaming would look like today without his influence, and it’ll be an influence that lives on for decades. An immeasurable loss for games, but more importantly, our thoughts go out to his family and friends at this time. RIP Vince Zampella.
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