Legendary CoD developer David Vonderhaar quits Treyarch after 8 games
TreyarchTreyarch’s creative genius David Vonderhaar, who helped create the Call of Duty Black Ops series and other iconic titles, announced his departure from the company.
David Vonderhaar’s innovations and ideas are interwoven throughout Call of Duty’s rich history. He started working on the franchise as an Online Manager for Call of Duty 2: Big Red One in 2005. Next, Vondehaar worked as the Multiplayer design director for COD 3 and World at War.
Then, Vonderhaar embraced community members with open arms while working on the competitive arena mode and Campaign for the Black Ops series. The passionate developer even helped pave a path for COD’s future in the battle royale genre by overseeing the development of Blackout and the original Warzone.
Besides a long list of accolades behind the scenes, Vonderhaar always made his presence felt publicly by responding to fans online or by participating in live streams with content creators.
David Vonderhaar announces departure from Treyarch
On August 18, Vonderhaar announced: “Today I am sharing that I have left Activision and Treyarch after an incredible 18 years and 8 Call of Duty games.”
Vonderhaar thanked his co-workers at Treyarch and the Call of Duty community for their “passion and enthusiasm.”
“I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to interact with so many of you directly online and in person.”
Treyarch responded: “Farewell to the legendary David Vonderhaar, whose discipline, creativity & innovation helped shape our games from COD 2: Big Red One to Black Ops Cold War. His iconic phrases & groundbreaking ideas will be missed. Excited for your next adventure.”
Fortunately for fans thinking this is the end of Vonderhaar’s illustrious career, that isn’t the case. He confirmed: “I am staying in the game industry, working on an undisclosed project I can’t discuss yet, but I am excited about a rare and unique opportunity.
Vonderhaar joins a list of COD developers leaving to start new projects. Most recently, Infinity Ward’s Exexecutive Producer, Mark Rubin, left to create XDefiant.
All we can do now is wait on the edge of our seats for whatever masterstroke Vondehaar has up his sleeve next.