Treyarch studio head Mark Gordon leaves after 22 years

Mark Gordon is leaving Treyarch after 22 years as studio head. The studio confirmed the news on social media, saying Gordon is moving on to the next chapter of his career — though what that looks like hasn't been announced yet.

Yale Miller and Kevin Hendrickson step in as co-studio heads. Both have long histories at Activision with multiple Call of Duty credits between them. Gordon's exit follows a similar departure a few years back, when design director David Vonderhaar — the architect of Black Ops multiplayer — left to start his own studio.

Treyarch isn't expected to ship a new Call of Duty for at least two years, assuming the franchise's development cycle stays on track. Infinity Ward has Modern Warfare 4 coming later this year, and Sledgehammer Games is expected — though not confirmed — to release something next year. Whether Treyarch is building another Black Ops entry is unclear. Black Ops 6 performed well, but Black Ops 7 was a commercial disappointment that dented the series' reputation.

Meanwhile, rumors are circulating that Activision and Treyarch are planning to re-release Black Ops 1 and Black Ops 2 for modern hardware — fans spotted listings for both games in PlayStation's backend. Nothing is confirmed. Treyarch also recently added a playlist to Black Ops 7 called Black Ops Classic, featuring old-school maps and gameplay changes that pull the experience closer to the original games, which some fans read as groundwork for those potential re-releases.