Treyarch

Treyarch Corporation ([3] formerly Treyarch Invention LLC) is an American video game developer based in Los Angeles with additional studio locations in Vancouver, Canada; and Austin, Texas.[4] Founded in 1996 by Peter Akemann and Doğan Köslü, it was acquired by Activision in 2001. The studio is known for its work for the Call of Duty series, which it develops alongside Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games, and Raven Software.

History

Treyarch was founded in 1996 as Treyarch Inventions and was acquired by Activision in 2001.[5] In 2005, Gray Matter Studios was merged into Treyarch.[6][7]

As part of the 2007 Leipzig Games Convention, Activision announced that Treyarch would be one of three developers behind its first James Bond-based game, 007: Quantum of Solace. The game was released on October 31, 2008, in Europe and November 4, 2008, in North America. Vicarious Visions developed the Nintendo DS version and Eurocom developed the PlayStation 2 version. Treyarch is a major developer in the Call of Duty series.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II held the record for the largest entertainment launch in history in any form of entertainment, breaking the record within 24 hours of its release until it was surpassed by Grand Theft Auto V.[8] Sales from the game worldwide reached US$650 million within five days after its release.[9] Treyarch worked on the Wii U version of Call of Duty: Ghosts, in order to optimize it for the console.[10]

Fellow Call of Duty developer Sledgehammer Games was originally slated to lead the development of the 2020 entry but encountered internal tensions and creative differences with co-developer Raven Software.[11][12] This lead to publisher Activision tapping Treyarch to take over from Sledgehammer Games as co-developer for the game alongside Raven Software.[13][14][15] This entry was later revealed to be Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. Raven Software handled the game's campaign, while Treyarch lead the development of the multiplayer and Zombies mode.[16][17][18]

Dan Bunting, who had been co-lead of Treyarch since around 2003, was named in an investigative report by The Wall Street Journal related to the lawsuit filed against Activision Blizzard by the state of California over workplace misconduct and discrimination.[19] Bunting had reportedly mistreated an employee in 2017, but was kept on by Activision Blizzard's CEO, Bobby Kotick. After The Wall Street Journal began its investigation, Bunting was let go.[20][21][22]

On August 18, 2023, studio design director David Vonderhaar announced he would be leaving the studio after 18 years.[23][24][25]

Game engines

Beginning in 2008, Treyarch uses fellow Call of Duty developer Infinity Ward's game engine called the IW engine. The studio used IW 3.0 for 007: Quantum of Solace (2008), Call of Duty: World at War (2008), Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010), and Call of Duty: Black Ops II (2012).[26][27][28][29] With the introduction of the eighth generation of video game consoles, Treyarch heavily modified and upgraded the engine for Call of Duty: Black Ops III in 2015.[30][31] Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 in 2018 features a new 'Super Terrain' system and can accommodate up to 100 players.[32][33][34] Treyarch heavily upgraded the engine for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War in 2020 with the introduction of the ninth generation of video game consoles.[35]

With the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II in 2022, Treyarch co-developed the engine with Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games to be used in future installments of the series in a unified effort to ensure that every studio is working with the same tools.[36][37][38] With the new shared engine dubbed IW 9.0,[39][40] Treyarch was able to introduce a new movement system called 'Omnimovement' for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 in 2024.[41] Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 also featured audio improvements and upgrades.[42][43][44] This engine is also used in 2025's Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.[45]

Games

External links

• Treyarch's profile at MobyGames
• Treyarch's Work at CallofDutyMaps