David Vonderhaar (born September 8, 1972) is an American video game developer and game designer. He is best known for his work on the Call of Duty Black Ops franchise.[1]

David Vonderhaar
Born (1972-09-08) September 8, 1972 (age 52)
OccupationVideo game designer
EmployerTreyarch (2005–2023)
Known forCall of Duty series
TitleStudio design director, online manager, multiplayer designer

Career

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Vonderhaar began his career at Activision as a quality assurance tester, web designer and online manager for several titles. In 2006, Vonderhaar lead the design of Call of Duty 3 and several other Call of Duty titles developed by Treyarch. He designed the multiplayer systems for Call of Duty: Black Ops and Call of Duty: Black Ops II, along with the campaign, multiplayer and free run modes for Call of Duty: Black Ops III.[2]

Vonderhaar led the design systems for the campaign and multiplayer experiences of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, before transitioning to full-time development on blackout after the campaign mode was cancelled.[3][4][5] He also worked on the multiplayer of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and its Fireteam modes.[6]

On August 18, 2023, Vonderhaar announced his departure from Treyarch, revealing he is working on an unannounced project.[7][8][9]

Design philosophy

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Vonderhaar has a competitive-focused agenda and is inspired by Esports gameplay design. Vonderhaar has spoken on the development of League Play, a competitive mode introduced in Call of Duty: Black Ops II, and their goal to make Treyarch games "fun to play, and fun to watch".[10] Starting with Call of Duty: Black Ops, Vonderhaar worked closely with competitive players and Esports professionals to improve the spectating and gameplay experience of Call of Duty.[11]

Games

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References

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  1. ^ "18-Year Call of Duty Veteran Announces He's Leaving Activision". 18 August 2023.
  2. ^ "Black Ops 3 Interview with David Vonderhaar & Mark Lamia". YouTube.
  3. ^ "What Happened to Black Ops 4's Campaign?". YouTube.
  4. ^ "195 Rapid-Fire Questions About Call of Duty's Blackout". YouTube.
  5. ^ "Exclusive Interview: How Treyarch Built Call of Duty's Battle Royale". YouTube.
  6. ^ "Call of Duty®: Black Ops Cold War Multiplayer Reveal". YouTube.
  7. ^ "David Vonderhaar on LinkedIn: Today I am sharing that I have left Activision and Treyarch after an… | 153 comments".
  8. ^ "Call of Duty developer David Vonderhaar leaves Treyarch". Eurogamer.net. 19 August 2023.
  9. ^ Treyarch Studios [@Treyarch] (August 18, 2023). "Farewell to the legendary David Vonderhaar" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. ^ "David Vonderhaar - Studio Design Director Treyarch | the Eavesdrop Podcast Ep 2". YouTube.
  11. ^ "Building Black Ops 2 for eSports - David Vonderhaar Interview". YouTube.