David Vonderhaar talks eSports, relationship w/ IW/SHG in a new interview with IGN

David Vonderhaar, Treyarch’s Studio Design Director, spoke with IGN at gamescom 2015 about Call of Duty: Black Ops 3’s eSports announcement. Vonderhaar recaps many of the big news from the reveal stream, including the new Bans and Protect system, Arena mode, and more. He stated that Activision and Treyarch are currently working on league seasons, championship events, tournaments, and more with partners and will have more news to share closer to launch.

Vonderhaar also spoke about the relationship that exists between the three Call of Duty studios – Treyarch, Sledgehammer Games, and Infinity Ward. Vahn stated that he’s friends with many folks at Sledgehammer and Infinity Ward, and that the teams compare notes throughout development. He also stated that the studios share feedback that they get following their latest title’s launch. One of the examples Vahn highlighted was Uplink; Treyarch wouldn’t have thought of bringing Uplink mode to Call of Duty, but Vahn said seeing fan reaction to Uplink in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare convinced them to bring it back in Call of Duty: Black Ops 3.

You can watch the interview here: