Treyarch Studio Head Stepping Down After 22 Years

Treyarch has announced that Mark Gordon, the head of the studio at Treyarch and a 22-year veteran of the company, is stepping down. In a post on social media, the team recounted Gordon’s contributions to the firm, which saw him work on everything from Call of Duty 2: Big Red One (my first Call of Duty) to every Black Ops game ever made.

Moving forward, Kevin Hendrickson and Yale Miller will assume leadership of the studio as co-heads, because everyone knows a ship doesn’t set sail without two captains!

Treyarch Loses 22 Years of Wisdom

Mark Gordon has retired from his role as studio head at Treyarch, a position he worked toward and held for 22 years at the Call of Duty-focused firm.

In a post on social media, Treyarch wrote:

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.

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.

As we look ahead, we’re pleased to announce that Treyarch’s Kevin Hendrickson and Yale Miller will step into the roles of Co-Studio Heads. Kevin and Yale are veterans of the franchise with decades of development and leadership experience, both bringing a wealth of deep game knowledge and a shared commitment to Treyarch’s culture and creative ambition.

From all of us at the studio: Thank you, Mark, for your leadership, friendship, and all you’ve achieved to make Treyarch such a wonderful place to call home.

Treyarch was founded way back in 1996, which means it was trading for just eight years before Gordon walked through its doors. The studio dabbled in a few genres, franchises, and platforms, including developing Spider-Man, NHL, and skateboarding games, before turning to Call of Duty in 2005.

That franchise has remained the studio’s bread and butter almost exclusively ever since.

This senior and prolific departure echoes that of David Vonderhaar, an 18-year veteran of the studio who departed in 2023 and subsequently opened his own studio, Bulletfarm.

Are you surprised to hear the news of Mark Gordon’s departure? Let us know what you think he’ll be doing next on the Insider Gaming Discord server.

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