Treyarch’s Studio Head, Mark Gordon, has retired after spending 22 years in the studio. In his over two-decade career, he worked on Call of Duty 2 and every Black Ops game.
“After an extraordinary 22 years with Treyarch, our own Mark Gordon has decided to retire from his role as Studio Head to focus on his next chapter,” read the message shared by the studio across different social media platforms.
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“We’re incredibly grateful to Mark for his steady guidance and deep care for the studio, its culture, and its people. Mark’s impact on the franchise has been immeasurable, from Call of Duty 2: Big Red One and Call of Duty 3, to World at War and the entirety of the Black Ops series.”
Filling the vacuum left behind by Gordon’s departure are Kevin Hendrickson and Yale Miller, who will serve as co-Studio Heads. The studio described them as “veterans of the franchise with decades of development and leadership experience”.
The studio thanked Gordon for his leadership and friendship, as well as for everything he has achieved at Treyarch. All attention will now shift to the new co-heads, especially with the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 coming on October 23, 2026.
Treyarch was established in 1996. Gordon joined the studio 8 years later. Before focusing on Call of Duty, the studio worked on several other game genres, including NHL, Spider-Man, and skateboarding titles. Since 2005, they have become a Call of Duty studio, almost exclusively.
One of the studio veterans, David Vonderhaar, left in 2023 after spending 18 years at Treyarch to found his own studio called Bulletfarm. It will not be surprising to hear the launch of a studio formed by Gordon in a few months.
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