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 51)
Arizona, U.S.
OccupationVideo game designer
EmployerTreyarch (2005–2023)
Known forCall of Duty series
TitleStudio design director, online manager, multiplayer designer

Career edit

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 career and multiplayer experiences of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, before transitioning to full-time development on blackout after career's cancellation.[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 edit

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 edit

References edit

  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.