Mark Gordon retired as studio head of Treyarch on June 15, ending a 22-year tenure with the company that included 10 years as its leader [1, 2, 3, 4]. Treyarch issued a statement thanking Gordon for his "steady guidance and deep care for the studio, its culture, and its people," adding his impact on the Call of Duty franchise was "immeasurable" [1].
Gordon joined Treyarch in May 2005 as the chief technology officer, the same year Treyarch released Call of Duty 2: Big Red One [3, 4]. He became studio head in November 2016, initially sharing leadership with Dan Bunting and Jason Blundell [1, 3, 4]. Blundell left in 2020 to found his own studio, and Dan Bunting departed in 2021 amid accusations of sexual misconduct [1, 3].
Following Gordon's departure, longtime Treyarch veterans Kevin Hendrickson and Yale Miller were named co-studio heads [1, 2, 3, 4]. Both have decades of experience with Treyarch and the Call of Duty series [1, 3, 4].
Treyarch is not expected to release a new Call of Duty game for about two years, with other Activision studios Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games handling upcoming titles first [2]. Treyarch recently updated Black Ops 7 with a "Black Ops Classic" playlist, sparking speculation about possible re-releases of Black Ops 1 and 2 [2].
Meanwhile, Xbox Game Studios is undergoing changes with the departures of head Craig Duncan and chief of staff Louise O’Connor, highlighting broader shifts in the video game industry leadership [1, 4].
