"Call of Duty Studio's Multiplayer Director Departs"

Summary

• Greg Reisdorf, the creative director for Call of Duty multiplayer, has departed from Sledgehammer Games after a 15-year tenure.
• He played a pivotal role in developing numerous Call of Duty titles, starting with Modern Warfare 3 in 2011.
• Reisdorf spearheaded the multiplayer development for 2023's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, including live season modes and additional content.

Greg Reisdorf, the creative director for Call of Duty multiplayer, recently announced his departure from Sledgehammer Games, where he had been a key contributor for 15 years. His journey with the studio began with the development of the original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, released in 2011.

Founded on July 21, 2009, in Foster City, California, Sledgehammer Games launched its first Call of Duty title, Modern Warfare 3, just two years later. Over the years, the studio has collaborated with Treyarch, Infinity Ward, and Raven Software on various Call of Duty releases, including the recent 2024's Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and the widely popular Call of Duty: Warzone.

On January 13, Reisdorf confirmed his exit from Sledgehammer Games on January 10 via a Twitter thread, reflecting on his significant contributions and experiences. His career at Sledgehammer took off after working on Modern Warfare 3, where he helped develop the Scorched Earth campaign mission and the memorable sequence in the Blood Brothers mission featuring Soap on a gurney, which he described as "one of the most fun and chaotic moments" of his work.

Call of Duty Multiplayer Creative Director Greg Reisdorf Leaves Sledgehammer Games After 15 Years

Reisdorf played a crucial role in shaping the "boots off the ground" era with Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, contributing to gameplay systems like boost jumps, dodging, and tactical reloads, as well as unique weapon signatures, energy weapons, and multiplayer maps. However, he had mixed feelings about the "Pick 13" system, believing that streaks should not impact essential items such as primary and secondary weapons.

Reflecting on Call of Duty: WW2, Reisdorf discussed the initial restrictive Divisions system that locked weapons to specific classes, which he was glad to see reversed shortly after launch. He also contributed significantly to Call of Duty: Vanguard's multiplayer, focusing on discovery and traditional three-lane maps, which he prefers for their fun gameplay over military simulation.

Finally, Reisdorf shared his experiences with the development of multiplayer maps for 2023's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. He enjoyed reimagining classic maps from Modern Warfare 2 (2009), adding subtle details like Shepherd's skull on Rust. As the creative director of multiplayer, he was directly involved in Modern Warfare 3's live season modes, including Season 1's Snowfight and Infectious Holiday modes. Throughout the year of post-launch support, he worked on over 20 modes for Modern Warfare 3. Looking forward, Reisdorf hinted at continuing his career in the gaming industry.