David Vonderhaar


David Vonderhaar, also known as Vahn, is an American video game developer and game designer. He is best known for his work on the Call of Duty Black Ops franchise.

Career

Vonderhaar joined Activision to become a quality assurance tester, web designer, and online manager for several titles. In 2006, he led the design of Call of Duty 3 and several other Call of Duty games developed by Treyarch. He designed the multiplayer systems for Call of Duty: Black Ops and Call of Duty: Black Ops II, along with the campaign, multiplayer, and free run modes for Call of Duty: Black Ops III.
Vonderhaar led the design systems for the campaign and multiplayer experiences of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, before transitioning to full-time development on Blackout after the campaign mode was cancelled. He also worked on the multiplayer of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and its Fireteam modes.
On August 18, 2023, Vonderhaar announced that he had left Treyarch, after eighteen years. He established NetEase's company BulletFarm.

Design philosophy

Vonderhaar has a competitive-focused agenda and is inspired by Esports gameplay design. Vonderhaar has spoken on the development of League Play, a competitive mode introduced in Call of Duty: Black Ops II, and their goal to make Treyarch games "fun to play, and fun to watch". Starting with Call of Duty: Black Ops, Vonderhaar worked closely with competitive players and Esports professionals to improve the spectating and gameplay experience of Call of Duty.

Games