Summary

• Call of Duty multiplayer creative director Greg Reisdorf has left Sledgehammer Games after 15 years.
• He was a key developer on various Call of Duty titles, starting with Modern Warfare 3 in 2011.
• Reisdorf led development of multiplayer for 2023's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, including live season modes and content.

Call of Duty multiplayer creative director Greg Reisdorf announced that he left Sledgehammer Games after working at the studio for 15 years. Reisdorf was involved in all the Sledgehammer Games-developed Call of Duty titles, starting with development of the original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which was released in 2011.

Sledgehammer Games was founded on July 21, 2009, in Foster City, California, and the studio shipped its first Call of Duty game, 2011's Modern Warfare 3, just two years later. The studio has worked with Treyarch, Infinity Ward, and Raven Software on multiple Call of Duty releases over the years, with the most recent being 2024's Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and the ever-popular Call of Duty: Warzone.

On January 13, Greg Reisdorf confirmed on Twitter that he left Sledgehammer Games on January 10, after 15 years at the Call of Duty studio, and he wrote a thread to highlight many of his accomplishments and experiences as a developer. Reisdorf began to rise through the ranks of Sledgehammer Games after developing content for 2011's Modern Warfare 3, including the Scorched Earth campaign mission. One of Reisdorf's most notable works from Modern Warfare 3 includes the sequence where Soap is on a gurney in the Blood Brothers campaign mission, and he notes that it was "one of the most fun and chaotic moments" he worked on.

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

Reisdorf contributed toward the beginning of the "boots off the ground" era of Call of Duty by aiding development of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare's gameplay systems, including boost jumps, dodging, and tactical reloads. He also worked on unique weapon signatures, energy weapons, and multiplayer maps in Advanced Warfare. However, one of the features that Reisdorf was conflicted about is the "Pick 13" system, since he believes that streaks are rewards that should not affect required items like primary and secondary weapons.

Reisdorf reflected on his work in Call of Duty: WW2 as well, including the state of the game at its launch. Divisions in Call of Duty: WW2 locked weapons to specific classes and restricted player freedom, and Reisdorf is relieved that this decision was reversed quickly after launch. He contributed greatly to Call of Duty: Vanguard's multiplayer, including the game's discovery and traditional three-lane maps. Reisdorf prefers three-lane maps in Vanguard, since he enjoys fun gameplay instead of military simulation.

Lastly, Reisdorf recounted his experiences developing multiplayer maps for 2023's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. He enjoyed revisiting classic Modern Warfare 2 (2009) maps during the development of Modern Warfare 3 and adding small touches, such as Shepherd's skull on Rust. As creative director of multiplayer, he worked directly on Modern Warfare 3's live season modes, including Season 1's Snowfight and Infectious Holiday modes. Reisdorf worked on over 20 modes in Modern Warfare 3 throughout its year of post-launch support, and he looks forward to what's next after Call of Duty, implying that he will continue to work in the gaming industry.