"Call of Duty Studio's Multiplayer Director Departs"

Summary

• Greg Reisdorf, the creative director of Call of Duty's multiplayer, has left Sledgehammer Games after 15 years of service.
• He played a pivotal role in developing multiple Call of Duty titles, beginning with Modern Warfare 3 in 2011.
• Reisdorf led the development of multiplayer features for 2023's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, including live season modes and additional content.

Greg Reisdorf, the creative director of Call of Duty's multiplayer, has announced his departure from Sledgehammer Games after a 15-year tenure. Reisdorf was instrumental in the development of all Call of Duty titles produced by Sledgehammer, starting with the original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which was released in 2011.

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

On January 13, Reisdorf confirmed his exit from Sledgehammer Games on January 10 via Twitter, where he shared a thread detailing his achievements and experiences. His journey at Sledgehammer began with significant contributions to 2011's Modern Warfare 3, including the Scorched Earth campaign mission. One of his most memorable works from this game was the sequence featuring Soap on a gurney in the Blood Brothers mission, which he described as "one of the most fun and chaotic moments" he had worked on.

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

Reisdorf played a key role in initiating the "boots off the ground" era of Call of Duty with his work on Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. He helped develop gameplay systems such as boost jumps, dodging, and tactical reloads, along with unique weapon signatures, energy weapons, and multiplayer maps. However, he expressed mixed feelings about the "Pick 13" system, believing that streaks should not impact essential items like primary and secondary weapons.

Reflecting on his contributions to Call of Duty: WW2, Reisdorf discussed the game's initial state at launch. The Divisions system, which restricted weapons to specific classes and limited player freedom, was quickly reversed, much to his relief. He also contributed significantly to Call of Duty: Vanguard's multiplayer, focusing on the game's 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 revisiting classic maps from Modern Warfare 2 (2009) and adding subtle details, such as Shepherd's skull on the Rust map. As the creative director of multiplayer, he directly worked on Modern Warfare 3's live season modes, including Season 1's Snowfight and Infectious Holiday modes. Throughout the year of post-launch support, Reisdorf worked on over 20 modes for Modern Warfare 3 and expressed excitement about his future endeavors in the gaming industry.