- Vince Zampella, creator of the Titanfall games, passed away in a horrific car crash on December 23, 2025
- Titanfall 2 players assembled in-game to pay a gun salute to the creator, honoring his legacy.
- Zampella was crucial in reinventing modern-day shooters such as Call of Duty, Apex Legends, and more.
The news of the passing of Vince Zampella, co-founder of Infinity Ward, creator of Respawn Entertainment, and head of Battlefield Studios, came as a shock to the entire gaming community. Millions of gamers took to social media, paying tribute to his legacy and the impact his vision and leadership had on reinventing the modern-day shooters.
While he’s primarily known for being the creator of Medal of Honor and Call of Duty games, with Titanfall, he attempted something bold, which brought fluid movement mechanics such as wall running and mech combat into the mainstream space. Even though his latest stint was at Battlefield Studios creating the latest Battlefield 6 and revamping the entire franchise so much so it gained glory at The Game Awards 2025, Titanfall games are still his one underrated masterpiece that thousands of fans adore.
So on the day of his passing, it was quite obvious that players would band together to pay him an in-game tribute, and hence Titanfall 2 players were quick to rally up in-game to pay a legendary gun salute to the creator.
Titanfall 2 Players Perform Gun Salute to Pay Tribute to Creator Vince Zampella
On the day of the passing of Vince Zampella, 11 Titanfall 2 players assembled in-game and lined up with their rifles to fire shots in the sky to pay tribute to the Titanfall creator. The Reddit video shared by user AstraeusTF was accompanied by the text, “The creator of Titanfall 2 has passed away. Rest in peace, Pilot.”
To those unaware, “Pilot” is the title for elite soldiers in Titanfall games who operate the giant mech-style Titans. It is the highest rank a player can achieve in the game’s lore and gameplay. By referring to Zampella as Pilot, the community honors him as the original Pilot of the games and the Titans themselves.
Under the tribute video, several players also turned in their messages to Zampella’s legacy, where one wrote, “Rest easy, pilot, you’ve earned it. We’ll see you on the next frontier, hold things down till we get there, will ya?” Another chimed in, “This game will forever be in our hearts, and Vince is the one we gotta thank for that.”
On the other hand, several players weighed in on the possibility of never getting a Titanfall 3 game, as one said, “Now we definitely shouldn’t be asking for the 3rd game, without him it won’t be the same.” And in response to that, one player speculated that EA would actually make the game now and capitalize on this tragedy.
Still, Titanfall 2 players believe it’s best they are left with Vince’s original vision, and now that he’s moved away from both DICE and EA, Battlefield Studios is the place where his latest decisions were made. So ultimately, that’s something fans would be looking forward to as what BF6 brings next to the game.
