Vince Zampella was a model for how humble and human a person could be while being world-famous at the same time. He has been instrumental in creating gaming franchises — Medal of Honor, Battlefield, Call of Duty, Titanfall, Apex Legends and Star Wars Jedi — that have collectively generated around $60 billion in revenue over time.
He was a leader at 2015 Inc., Infinity Ward, Respawn Entertainment, and Electronic Arts. These were some of the best game studios in the world, and Zampella was a legend multiple times over for the roles that he played at each of these companies. He had swagger from that fame, but he spoke one-on-one like a mortal, not a god.
As his fame grew, he was glad to share his knowledge with others. He spoke at our events, even when you would have thought he had outgrown them. His topics at our events showed a lot about his changing interests. He spoke on VR games and working on Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond, a VR title, at our 2016 event. He also talked about the future of battle royale at our 2019 GamesBeat Summit event. And he was part of a panel that praised EA leader Laura Miele when she won our Visionary Award for 2021.
There was one time when, in the wake of Battlefield 2042’s weak launch, I asked if he could speak about fixing Battlefield. He told me he was still figuring out the solution. I almost got him to come to our most recent event to do a victory lap talk for Battlefield 6. But he was tied up and I thought we would get him for the event in the spring.
Zampella took a stand on principles, fighting with Activision CEO Bobby Kotick in a dispute over royalties for Infinity Ward. Zampella and Jason West sued, and the lawsuit was settled. And Respawn Entertainment rose in its wake, with smashing successes in Titanfall, Apex Legends and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. It was a validation of the notion that talent, not just franchises, mattered when it came to the success of video games.
I can’t recall when I met him, but it had to be in the wake of the 2002 release of Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, which took the quality of shooters to a cinematic level. I was also there at the launch of Call of Duty and Call of Duty 2, though the lead man with the press in those days was Grant Collier.
These games became a part of my identity as a gamer, and I was blessed to be able to chat with Zampella not only as a journalist but as a hardcore fan of his work. I felt like a hero playing his games, and he made hundreds of millions of people feel the same way. I loved catching him at unplugged moments, like when he was chatting, laughing and cursing with people like Michael Pachter in a hallway at the Entertainment Software Association’s annual charity dinner in San Francisco.
I remember his always-enthusiastic presence during the reveals of Call of Duty and Titanfall. And I recall when I first played Apex Legends at an EA event in 2019. It was a surprise game, and Vince and the Titanfall team were there.
I finished playing a match and turned around. Vince was there in a chair, watching me. He wanted to know what I thought of the game that his team had labored on for so long and kept secret until that moment. I asked him if he had permission to do an interview, and he said of course. And we did the interview there, before anyone could stop us.
At the Battlefield 6 creator event, he was up on stage doing a recorded show in front of a big audience, yet he was dropping F-bombs on stage and giving the limelight to others like Bryon Beede. He was the same person on stage and off stage. Afterward, I noted that he was the only exec I had heard lately who dropped F-bombs, and he said he does that in meetings too and he would always do so.
I had the impression that he got the permission do these things because he didn’t ask for it. He just did them. Not only because he had the track record and credibility behind him, but because he was always the advocate in the room for gamers.
He spoke like them, and not like a suit. At the latest The Game Awards show, he took a moment to chat and take a selfie with me. He wore a T-shirt and a baseball cap. I watched him do the same with other admirers.
He is just one among many giants the game industry has lost over time. You can tell how many lives he touched by the outpouring of tributes and grief about his passing. I’ve been in shock and it’s taken a full day for these memories to come back to me. But they are a comfort to me, remembering the way he was.
Rest in peace, Vince. You made us all feel like heroes.