Whether you love it or hate it, Call of Duty has been a staple of the video games industry for decades now, managing to persist and even thrive on an almost-annual basis – thanks in part to the work of core studios Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games and of course Treyarch. After releasing back-to-back titles in the form of Black Ops 6 and 7, Treyarch’s studio head Mark Gordon has announced his departure following 22 years at the company.

Taking to Twitter to release a statement, the official Treyarch page confirmed the news, writing: “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.”

The letter continued, “We're incredibly grateful to Mark for his steady guidance and deep care for the studio, its culture, and its people. Mark's impact on the franchise has been immeasurable, from Call of Duty 2: Big Red One and Call of Duty 3, to World at War and the entirety of the Black Ops series.”

They of course concluded with plenty of kind words, writing: “From all of us at the studio: Thank you, Mark, for your leadership, friendship, and all you've achieved to make Treyarch such a wonderful place to call home.”

For the uninitiated, Gordon was promoted to Studio Head back in 2016, though his previous roles at the company included Vice President of Development and Chief Technology Officer. Initially promoted to co-Studio Head alongside Dan Bunting and Jason Blundell, Gordon would later take on the responsibility solo in the wake of Blundell’s departure in 2020 and Bunting’s controversial exit the following year.

No specifics were given regarding Gordon’s ‘next chapter’, but after two decades of working almost exclusively on Call of Duty, a nice long break is likely in store. Mark Gordon is being succeeded by new co-Studio Heads Kevin Hendrickson and Yale Miller.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of this latest departure? Could it be related to Xbox’s ongoing ‘reset’, or was it simply time for him to move on? Let us know your thoughts down below.