Following his "unsuccessful" enrollment at Broward College (at the time known as Broward Community College,[6]) Zampella worked as a handyman. A friend of his helped him get a job at a local game company, where he answered phones and tested new releases. In a 1997 interview with Gamezilla, Zampella said he "started out in graphic design and digital video at GameTek, then went to Atari to help launch its PC division" sometime prior to 1997.[7] Zampella also worked at Panasonic Interactive Media/Ripcord Games and SegaSoft, where he met Jason West, whom he would later pair with to found Infinity Ward.[2][8]
Zampella worked at 2015 from 1999-2002, during which he was credited as the lead designer for the critically acclaimed Medal of Honor: Allied Assault.[9] After Allied Assault's success, Zampella and Grant Collier founded Infinity Ward, where they began further Medal of Honor work.[5]
Infinity Ward
Shortly after Infinity Ward's creation, Electronic Arts decided to move Medal of Honor development in-house, and Infinity Ward took a deal with Activision to create a new game, codenamed "MOH Killer".[10] "MOH Killer" became Call of Duty, and Activision acquired Infinity Ward shortly after the game's release. At the same time, Zampella and fellow IW employee Jason West signed long-term employment contracts with Activision.[11] Under Zampella's and West's leadership, Infinity Ward released Call of Duty 2, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
Respawn Entertainment and EA
Months after the successful release of Modern Warfare 2, Zampella and Jason West were fired by Activision and denied the "$36 million in bonuses and royalties they’d been expecting". The pair sued Activision for wrongful termination that week and founded Respawn Entertainment the next month. During the years-long Activision suit, Zampella and West went on to demand $1 billion in damages from Activision, up from an initial $36 million. Other former IW employees also joined the suit. Activision eventually paid the other ex-IW employees $42 million, and paid West and Zampella "a settlement thought to be in the tens of millions of dollars".
In January 2020, EA announced that Zampella will lead the Los Angeles branch of DICE.[15] In 2021, EA put Zampella in charge of the Battlefield franchise following the "challenging" launch of Battlefield 2042 and the departure of Oskar Gabrielson, general manager of DICE.[16] DICE LA was renamed as Ripple Effect Studios in July 2018.[17]
Personal life
In a 2001 interview, Zampella described himself as having "always been an avid computer user and gamer". He was a casual Counter-Strike player at the time.[18]
According to TMZ, Zampella's wife Brigitte filed for divorce in 2015. They are reported as having 3 children together at the time.[3]
