Former Call of Duty Black Ops Developers Form New 'Remote-First' Studio

28.02.2024 - 19:32 / gamerant.com / David Vonderhaar / John DiCarlo

BulletFarm, a new «remote-first» studio based in Los Angeles, has been formed by Call of Duty veteran David Vonderhaar, who has appointed former CoD developer Chris Cowell as its creative director. The studio is already hard at work on its first project, which Vonderhaar offered some details about. Fans likely recognize Vonderhaar's name, who directed the multiplayer modes for many of Treyarch's Call of Duty titles.

Back in August, Vonderhaar left Treyarch after being with the company for nearly 19 years. He was the studio's design director for the popular Black Ops series, which gave fans some of the best Call of Duty games of the franchise. Vonderhaar has been a vocal supporter of Call of Duty's esports scene, as fans might remember Black Ops 2's innovative League Play mode, which was well ahead of its time. However, it seems that BulletFarm's first title is taking a much different approach.

According to NetEase, BulletFarm's parent company, the studio's first project has «an emphasis on co-operative gameplay» and is built using Unreal Engine 5. The game aims to implement a more «intimate and relatable» experience while bringing a new approach to first-person gameplay. Vonderhaar also offered some insight into the game, explaining that it's a departure from his previous projects but highlights his passion for «rich characters, precise mechanics, more intimate storytelling, and plenty of action.» BulletFarm and NetEase have not hinted at when the game's release might be, but it's likely a long way out given that the studio was recently formed. However, the companies did release a couple of screenshots that seem to hint at the game's rustic setting.

Chinese tech giant NetEase earned some praise from Vonderhaar, who said that the company «provided us an incredible support structure» to begin exploring development for their first game. NetEase offered Vonderhaar similar praise by saying that his «leadership and early collection of game development talent» is set to create something unique for gaming fans. NetEase, which also develops its own titles through NetEase Games, has invested in a wide variety of game studios including Bungie, Quantic Dream, SkyBox Labs, and many more.

As for future Call of Duty titles, fans are still waiting for the next game's release date to be announced, although a recent leak claims that Call of Duty 2024 will release sometime in October. The game is heavily rumored to be titled Call of Duty Black Ops: Gulf War and will take place in the early 1990s while following the CIA's exploits during said conflict.

Additional Call of Duty leaks claim that the development period for Gulf War will be the longest that Treyarch has ever gotten to spend working on a new Call of Duty entry.