Call of Duty Origin: Vince Zampella on Leaving EA

Last Updated: November 14, 2025

In one of the most candid statements in modern gaming history, Vince Zampella, a principal architect of the first-person shooter genre, revealed the raw, unfiltered story behind the creation of the multi-billion dollar Call of Duty franchise. The iconic series, he explained, was born directly from a contentious relationship with publisher Electronic Arts (EA) during the development of their groundbreaking Medal of Honor series.

The bombshell quote, which continues to reverberate through the industry, came from a wide-ranging interview with British GQ. Zampella, in a remarkable twist of fate, now oversees the Battlefield franchise for the very publisher he broke away from. When asked to reflect on the genesis of Call of Duty, his explanation was brutally honest.

From Allied Assault to a New War

Before Call of Duty stormed the digital beaches of PC gaming, Vince Zampella, Jason West, and Grant Collier were the creative leadership at developer 2015, Inc. Contracted by EA, they were the minds behind 2002's masterpiece, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. The game was a monumental success, universally praised for its cinematic, immersive D-Day landing sequence and its intense recreation of World War II, setting a new benchmark for first-person shooters.

Despite the critical and commercial triumph, friction was escalating behind the scenes. The development team sought greater creative control, more significant financial rewards, and, crucially, ownership over the intellectual property they were building. The resulting disputes with publisher EA became the catalyst for a mass exodus. In 2002, Zampella, West, and twenty other core members of the Allied Assault team departed 2015, Inc. to establish a new, independent studio: Infinity Ward.

The Birth of a Juggernaut

With newfound independence and crucial financial backing from EA's competitor, Activision, Infinity Ward set out to build a spiritual successor to their previous work—a game that would be bigger, better, and entirely their own. In 2003, they released the original Call of Duty.

The game was an instant classic. It took the cinematic, squad-based formula that made Allied Assault a hit and refined it to near perfection, introducing mechanics that would become genre standards. Call of Duty directly challenged the Medal of Honor series for the WWII shooter crown and, in the eyes of millions of players and critics, won a decisive victory. This initial success laid the foundation for what would become one of the best-selling and most recognizable entertainment properties on the planet.

The formation of Infinity Ward and the launch of Call of Duty marked a major power shift in the industry, proving that a determined team could break away from a publishing giant and construct an empire on its own terms.

History Repeats: The Full Circle

The irony of Zampella's statement is profoundly layered. After establishing Call of Duty and revolutionizing the genre again with 2007's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Zampella and West endured another high-profile and acrimonious split, this time with Activision in 2010.

Undeterred, they co-founded Respawn Entertainment, the celebrated studio behind the critically acclaimed Titanfall series and the wildly popular battle royale, Apex Legends. In a stunning twist, Respawn Entertainment was acquired by Electronic Arts in 2017.

Today, Zampella's career has come full circle. He not only leads Respawn—one of EA's most valuable studios, also responsible for the hit Star Wars Jedi series—but has been entrusted with a far greater responsibility. He was brought in to oversee the entire Battlefield franchise, EA's flagship competitor to Call of Duty, in an effort to right the ship after the troubled launch of Battlefield 2042. The man who created Call of Duty out of frustration with EA is now the one charged with steering its biggest rival, making his candid reflection on the past all the more powerful.