“What struck me most was his restlessness,” said Geoff Keighley yesterday in front of an audience on the DICE Summit 2026 keynote stage. “Nothing was ever quite good enough. That relentless hunger for excellence drove him to believe he could always make a better game, a better company, be a better man. Since his passing, I’ve thought a lot about what made Vince unique, what’s his superpower. Of course he knew how to build great teams, make great games, but inside massive companies built on process and politics, Vince was able to stay stubbornly human. He was direct, impatient with nonsense, and fiercely loyal to the people doing the work.”
Keighley was speaking of Vince Zampella, the co-creator of the Call of Duty franchise, co-founder of Infinity Ward, and co-founder of Respawn Entertainment, who tragically died this past December in a car accident at the age of 55.
Keighley opened a segment of the DICE Summit keynote talks dedicated to honoring Zampella’s legacy and memory, during which a number of other industry luminaries both took the stage as well as appeared in video messages discussing the impact he had on them personally, and the industry writ large.
“Technically, we never worked together, but he’s had a huge effect on me,” said Randy Pitchford, Gearbox CEO, in a video message. “Not just me as a game maker, but as a character.”
“That is the thing from Vince’s entire career,” said Respawn game director Peter Hirschmann, also in a video clip. “No matter who was around him, he found a way to get the best out of them.”
“[The team] always valued that Vince had their best interest,” said Daniel Suarez, head of production at Respawn and similarly appearing in a video. “They knew he was going to go into the arena and fight for what was going to be best for the game. And I think because you knew he had your back, you knew he was going to be the one who was chanting for this to be the best game it could be if the team had the ability to do their best work, people loved him for it.”
Xbox head Phil Spencer was the second speaker to take the stage in person, talking about his friendly rivalry with Zampella over the years, and what he learned from their friendship. “Vince’s legacy of leading without ego, of leading a team, is something that I took a lot away from, just watching him in how he led his teams to achieve such greatness.”
More individuals appeared in more video messages following Spencer’s speech. “I didn’t know what a servant leader was until I met Vince, and to be honest with you I don’t know if Vince knew what a servant leader was. But he was the best servant leader I ever knew,” said Stig Asmussen, former Respawn game director.
Hideo Kojima made a video appearance as well: “I think that without him, the modern game industry might not exist,” he said.
“He just really wanted to make great games for players with a team of developers he liked working with. I don’t think it was really about how do I change the game industry or how do I make a legendary game,” said Rob Pardo, former CCO of Blizzard. “I think he’s just simpler than that.”
“Watching him lead, having him lead us for so long, we’ve become him, with a sense of discipline, drive, ambition, execution, and a standard for excellence with the players in mind first,” said Byron Beede, SVP on Battlefield. “Thanks to Vince, that’s in our DNA now.”
The next video speaker was Bethesda director Todd Howard. “Vince was cool,” he said. “He was, I think, and a lot of people who knew him all would agree, he was probably the least full of s*** person I knew. And sometimes, he didn’t mind pointing out when someone else was. Vince was cool! So cool, my oldest son has only ever asked to meet or get his picture with one game developer. Vince! Twice! And Vince never would be changed. He was still that guy when we first met, except he had a new T-shirt once a year. That was a change for him. Vince was cool. He knew what was cool about a game. And he knew instinctively what a great game was. He knew how to take a game from average, to good, to great, and he knew what needed to be done to get there. He knew how hard it would be, the effort, the personal sacrifice it would take. And he wasn’t afraid of doing it. It was never about him. It was always about the game. Most of all, about the team making it.”
After more video messages, the final in-person speaker was Laura Miele, president of EA Entertainment. “We’ve talked a lot today about Vince as a titan of gaming who put out highly successful franchises he helped create,” she said. “And all of that is true. But what he would say, often, is, I just want to be remembered for being a great dad. He truly lived that. There were many meetings over the years he didn’t attend, because he needed to be somewhere else. At a game, at a school event, or just simply being there for his kids when they needed him This instinct to show up didn’t stop with his family. He really showed up for people. He mentored, he supported, he believed in others often before they believed in themselves. He created cultures where people felt trusted and protected and challenged to be their best. Vince Zamella changed how games were made, but more importantly, he changed how people were treated while making them.”
A final round of video messages concluded the presentation, including a reappearance by Kojima in which he concluded, “I hope people will look to Vince as a model and aim high.”
DICE attendees have been asked to look for set-ups of blank Magic: The Gathering cards around the conference, on which they are being encouraged to write memories, tributes, and other thoughts about Zampella before depositing them in available boxes. The cards will be delivered to his family after the conference.
Zampella was well-known industry-wide, having co-created Call of Duty at the studio he co-founded, Infinity Ward. After departing Infinity Ward, he joined a number of his former team members in founding Respawn Entertainment, which went on to produce number hits including Titanfall (IGN review), Titanfall 2 (IGN review), Apex Legends (IGN review), Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (IGN review), and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (IGN review). His most recent gaming contribution was as director of Battlefield 6.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to [email protected].
Blogroll image credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
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