David Vonderhaar
 |
David Vonderhaar | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 8th, 1972 |
| Occupation | Video game designer |
| Employer | Treyarch (2005–2023) |
| Known for | Call of Duty series |
| Title | Studio design director, online manager, multiplayer designer |
David Vonderhaar 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]
Career
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
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
- Dark Reign: The Future of War
- Nightmare Creatures
- Barrage
- Interstate '82
- Civilization: Call to Power
- Shanghai: Second Dynasty
- Trivial Pursuit: Unhinged
- X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse
- Call of Duty 2: Big Red One
- Call of Duty 3
- 007: Quantum of Solace
- Call of Duty: World at War
- Call of Duty: Black Ops
- Call of Duty: Black Ops II
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
- Call of Duty: Warzone
References
- ^ "18-Year Call of Duty Veteran Announces He's Leaving Activision". 18 August 2023.
- ^ "Black Ops 3 Interview with David Vonderhaar & Mark Lamia". YouTube.
- ^ "What Happened to Black Ops 4's Campaign?". YouTube.
- ^ "195 Rapid-Fire Questions About Call of Duty's Blackout". YouTube.
- ^ "Exclusive Interview: How Treyarch Built Call of Duty's Battle Royale". YouTube.
- ^ "Call of Duty®: Black Ops Cold War Multiplayer Reveal". YouTube.
- ^ "David Vonderhaar on LinkedIn: Today I am sharing that I have left Activision and Treyarch after an… | 153 comments".
- ^ "Call of Duty developer David Vonderhaar leaves Treyarch". Eurogamer.net. 19 August 2023.
- ^ Treyarch Studios [@Treyarch] (August 18, 2023). "Farewell to the legendary David Vonderhaar" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "David Vonderhaar - Studio Design Director Treyarch | the Eavesdrop Podcast Ep 2". YouTube.
- ^ "Building Black Ops 2 for eSports - David Vonderhaar Interview". YouTube.