Call of Duty had a massive week with the official announcement of Modern Warfare 3, following a whirlwind of leaks. However, the week ended on a low note as one of the long-tenured devs for the series announced his departure from Activision.
Veteran Call of Duty designer David Vonderhaar announced that he is leaving Treyarch Studios after 18 years. The design director announced his resignation in a LinkedIn post last Friday. Vonderhaar will reportedly be moving to another role within the gaming industry.
Today I am sharing that I have left Activision and Treyarch after an incredible 18 years and 8 Call of Duty games,” Vonderhaar wrote on his LinkedIn page. 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.
“Thank you to the Call of Duty community for your passion and enthusiasm. 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.”
He ends, “I am staying in the games industry, working on an undisclosed project I can’t discuss yet, but I am excited about a rare and unique opportunity. I’ll update you as soon as possible.” Fans are surely excited to learn where his influence will be felt next.
Treyarch responded by calling Vonderhaar a legend and recounting his contributions to the Call of Duty franchise. This clearly indicates that there is no bad blood between the parties, which is a relief – the gaming industry is no stranger to ugly breakups.
“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,” Treyarch said in a statement. “His iconic phrases & groundbreaking ideas will be missed. Excited for your next adventure.”
Last week, Call of Duty content creators said that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 would be the “end of an era.” Many fans assumed that Modern Warfare 3 would end the annual release cycle with the next Call of Duty being a live service title.
However, content creator ProReborn confirmed that Vonderhaar’s resignation was the “end of an era” that he was referring to. According to the user, he was not comfortable announcing someone’s departure.
You’re pathetic. “Signify the end of our beloved franchise” “internet will be in shambles” so you were looking for clicks after all smh
— WysG113 (@WysG113) August 18, 2023
Many comments called out ProReborn for saying that the “internet will be in shambles” when the news breaks. The content creator was accused of hyping the news to farm impressions. Vonderhaar’s last project with Treyarch was Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. Fans of the game developer are now asking what project he will be working on next.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 launches on the 10th of November, 2023.
