Out of all the Call of Duty games, the Black Ops series has often been praised for its experimental nature, especially with more recent entries like Black Ops Cold War. Multiplayer modes are no exception to this, and former Treyarch studio design director David Vonderhaar has helped shape many of them. Now, the ex-COD developer announces his next venture: BulletFarm.
In a recent statement about the opening of the brand-new triple-A game studio, Vonderhaar expresses it has “given me a chance to step out of my comfort zone and try my hand at making something entirely new and different. This is a departure from the games I’ve worked on.”
Although BulletFarm will showcase fresh talent and ideas, Vonderhaar isn’t moving away from (hopefully) making some of the best FPS games out there. The studio’s first major project is fresh co-op game set in an original universe, and will include Vonderhaar’s “passion for rich characters, precise mechanics, more intimate storytelling, and plenty of action.”
While platforms are yet to be revealed, we can assume this upcoming title will be a new PS5 game and new Xbox game to keep your eyes on. BulletFarm is brought to fruition by NetEase Games, which has published hit multiplayer games like Naraka Bladepoint already. Speaking on the reveal of BulletFarm, president of global investments and partnerships Simon Zhu says “NetEase Games is fully dedicated to giving BulletFarm the resources and support required to build this new first person experience.”
Stationed in Los Angeles, BulletFarm’s upcoming title will be built using Unreal Engine 5 too. Vonderhaar adds that “NetEase has provided us an incredible support structure to explore these new avenues and allow true freedom to begin building the concept and ideas for our game.” The formation of the studio comes after Vonderhaar’s departure from Treyarch in August last year, having worked for the Call of Duty studio for almost two decades.
At the time, Vonderhaar said “I am immensely grateful for the time we invested working to improve our craft […] I am staying in the games industry, working on an undisclosed project I can’t discuss yet, but I am excited about a rare and unique opportunity.”
Vonderhaar’s former colleagues are currently working on the next COD entry, which is rumored to be known as Black Ops Gulf War, and it may feature some radical changes too