A developer synonymous with some of the Call of Duty franchise’s best moments and memories, David Vonderhaar, is leaving Treyarch, he announced in a post on LinkedIn today.
Vonderhaar has been front and center throughout the Black Ops series as studio design director at Treyarch since 2004. He’s been the most visible and vocal dev throughout several games, including Black Ops, Black Ops 2, Black Ops 3, and Black Ops 4.
“Thank you to the Call of Duty community for your passion and enthusiasm,” Vonderhaar said. “That energy has often fueled our determination as a studio and individuals. I will always be grateful for the opportunity to interact with so many of you directly online and in person. This energy will always be a massive part of me.”
Vonderhaar could often be seen at CoD esports events throughout the years, meeting and talking with CoD pros, fans, and anyone else looking to meet the man who was the face of the studio for “an incredible 18 years and eight Call of Duty games,” as Vonderhaar said.
“To my co-workers at Treyarch, I am immensely grateful for the time we invested working to improve our craft, never sitting on successes, and always wondering how to improve what we design and how we produce it,” Vonderhaar said.
Vonderhaar said he’s leaving Activision to work “on an undisclosed project I can’t discuss yet,” so he’s sticking around the business, at least for now. He said he’s “excited about a rare and unique opportunity” and he will “update” the community “as soon as possible.
As for Treyarch, up next for the developer is working on Modern Warfare 3’s Zombies mode. Beyond that, the studio is likely up next to lead on 2024’s CoD title, which could continue the Black Ops story.
Farewell for now and thank you to Mr. Vonderhaar for his years of service behind some of the best CoD games to date.
