{"id":1993235,"date":"2026-06-16T13:49:44","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T10:49:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1993235"},"modified":"2026-06-16T13:49:44","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T10:49:44","slug":"in-a-week-of-xbox-leadership-changes-longtime-treyarch-boss-mark-gordon-is-retiring-from-the-call-of-duty-studio-to-focus-on-his-next-chapter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1993235","title":{"rendered":"In a week of Xbox leadership changes, longtime Treyarch boss Mark Gordon is retiring from the Call of Duty studio to &#8220;focus on his next chapter&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">In a week of Xbox leadership changes, longtime Treyarch boss Mark Gordon is retiring from the Call of Duty studio to &#8220;focus on his next chapter&#8221;<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">Old guard.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/Black-Ops-6-(6).jpg?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Call of Duty Black Ops 6\" loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"Black-Ops-6-(6).jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Treyarch \/ Activision<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Sherif Saed avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/IMG_1950_Uy1XomJ.JPG?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1638\" height=\"1346\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Sherif Saed avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"IMG_1950_Uy1XomJ.JPG\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1638\" height=\"1346\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/sherif-saed\">Sherif Saed<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Contributor<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-06-16T13:49:44+00:00\">June 16, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mypop-header-wrapper\">\n<p><button class=\"mypop-button button wide\" data-state=\"follow\" data-type=\"tag\" data-uuid=\"fc7f2b58-9296-40d3-9846-6d4614e1abae\" data-name=\"Call of Duty 2: Big Red One\" data-follow-text=\"Follow Call of Duty 2: Big Red One\" data-unfollow-text=\"Following Call of Duty 2: Big Red One\" data-aria-follow-text=\"Follow Call of Duty 2: Big Red One\" data-aria-unfollow-text=\"Following Call of Duty 2: Big Red One\" data-popup=\"true\" data-force-login=\"true\" aria-label=\"Follow Call of Duty 2: Big Red One\" title=\"Follow Call of Duty 2: Big Red One\"><br \/>\n  Follow Call of Duty 2: Big Red One<br \/>\n<\/button>          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Treyarch, the Xbox-owned studio behind Call of Duty&#8217;s Black Ops games, has announced studio head Mark Gordon is retiring from his role after 22 years with the company.<\/p>\n<p>Gordon&#8217;s influence extends all the way back to 2005&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/call-duty-2-big-red-one\">Call of Duty 2: Big Red One<\/a>, Treyarch&#8217;s&#8217;s first-ever Call of Duty title. Since then, he&#8217;s helped shape the developer&#8217;s evolution from a Call of Duty support studio to one of its lead architects, having been heavily involved in the development of World at War and the creation of the Black Ops series.<\/p>\n<p>Gordon became studio head in November 2016, initially sharing the responsibilities with Dan Bunting and Jason Blundell. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/call-of-duty-zombies-overlord-jason-blundell-exits-treyarch\">Blundell left Treyarch in 2020<\/a>, however, and Bunting departed in November the following year, amid <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/activision-boss-bobby-kotick-under-fire-after-damning-report-into-what-he-knew-of-workplace-abuse\">reports of sexual misconduct allegations<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/treyarch-sutdio-logo-1.jpeg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"640\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-lightbox data-uri=\"treyarch-sutdio-logo-1.jpeg\" height=\"360\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"640\"><figcaption><span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Treyarch, Activision<\/cite><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&#8220;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,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Treyarch\/status\/2066585613734957337\/photo\/1\">Treyarch said in a statement announcing Gordon&#8217;s departure<\/a>. &#8220;We&#8217;re incredibly grateful to Mark for his steady guidance and deep care for the studio, its culture, and its people. Mark&#8217;s impact on the [Call of Duty] franchise has been immeasurable.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The developer has also confirmed Treyarch veterans Kevin Hendrickson and Yale Miller will now lead the studio as co-studio heads following Gordon&#8217;s departure. The pair have &#8220;decades of development and leadership experience&#8221;, it added, and both bring &#8220;a wealth of deep game knowledge and a shared commitment to Treyarch&#8217;s culture and creative ambition.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The timing of the news is interesting when viewed through the lens of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/xbox-layoffs-business-reset\">Xbox&#8217;s current &#8216;reset&#8217; campaign<\/a>, and the resulting leadership shake-up. This week has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/xbox-game-studios-craig-duncan-leaves-company\">already seen two high-profile departures in Craig Duncan and Louise O&#8217;Connor<\/a>, who left their positions as head of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/companies\/xbox-game-studios\">Xbox Game Studios<\/a> and chief of staff respectively. These leadership changes come as Xbox reportedly prepares for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/compulsion-double-fine-ninja-theory-xbox-studio-closures-report\">larger cuts that may result in several studio closures<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Treyarch, the Xbox-owned studio behind Call of Duty&#8217;s Black Ops games, has announced studio head Mark Gordon is retiring from his role after 22 years with the company.<\/p>\n<p>Gordon&#8217;s influence extends all the way back to 2005&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/call-duty-2-big-red-one\">Call of Duty 2: Big Red One<\/a>, Treyarch&#8217;s&#8217;s first-ever Call of Duty title. Since then, he&#8217;s helped shape the developer&#8217;s evolution from a Call of Duty support studio to one of its lead architects, having been heavily involved in the development of World at War and the creation of the Black Ops series.<\/p>\n<p>Gordon became studio head in November 2016, initially sharing the responsibilities with Dan Bunting and Jason Blundell. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/call-of-duty-zombies-overlord-jason-blundell-exits-treyarch\">Blundell left Treyarch in 2020<\/a>, however, and Bunting departed in November the following year, amid <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/activision-boss-bobby-kotick-under-fire-after-damning-report-into-what-he-knew-of-workplace-abuse\">reports of sexual misconduct allegations<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/treyarch-sutdio-logo-1.jpeg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"640\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-lightbox data-uri=\"treyarch-sutdio-logo-1.jpeg\" height=\"360\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"640\"><figcaption><span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Treyarch, Activision<\/cite><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&#8220;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,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Treyarch\/status\/2066585613734957337\/photo\/1\">Treyarch said in a statement announcing Gordon&#8217;s departure<\/a>. &#8220;We&#8217;re incredibly grateful to Mark for his steady guidance and deep care for the studio, its culture, and its people. Mark&#8217;s impact on the [Call of Duty] franchise has been immeasurable.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The developer has also confirmed Treyarch veterans Kevin Hendrickson and Yale Miller will now lead the studio as co-studio heads following Gordon&#8217;s departure. The pair have &#8220;decades of development and leadership experience&#8221;, it added, and both bring &#8220;a wealth of deep game knowledge and a shared commitment to Treyarch&#8217;s culture and creative ambition.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The timing of the news is interesting when viewed through the lens of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/xbox-layoffs-business-reset\">Xbox&#8217;s current &#8216;reset&#8217; campaign<\/a>, and the resulting leadership shake-up. This week has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/xbox-game-studios-craig-duncan-leaves-company\">already seen two high-profile departures in Craig Duncan and Louise O&#8217;Connor<\/a>, who left their positions as head of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/companies\/xbox-game-studios\">Xbox Game Studios<\/a> and chief of staff respectively. These leadership changes come as Xbox reportedly prepares for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/compulsion-double-fine-ninja-theory-xbox-studio-closures-report\">larger cuts that may result in several studio closures<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News In a week of Xbox leadership changes, longtime Treyarch boss Mark Gordon is retiring from the Call of Duty studio to &#8220;focus on his next chapter&#8221; Old guard. Image credit: Treyarch \/ Activision News by Sherif Saed Contributor Published on June 16, 2026 Follow Call of Duty 2: Big Red One Treyarch, the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-1993235","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1993235","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1993235"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1993235\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1993235"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1993235"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1993235"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}