Call of Duty: WW2 Co-Director Joins 2K to Head New Studio

By Colin Stevens

Michael Condrey, Sledgehammer Games co-founder and former Visceral Games COO, has been announced as the president of a new 2K Games development studio in Silicon Valley.

Condrey, who recently co-directed Call of Duty: WW2 and helped establish the Dead Space franchise, will build and lead a new development team to work on an unannounced project. Condrey co-founded Sledgehammer for Activision in 2009, where he was responsible for the studio’s creative direction, production and business operations. He also contributed to games in the James Bond 007, Need for Speed and FIFA franchises.

“Great games come from the passion of a team driven by the pursuit of quality and the empowerment of an independent studio model,” said Condrey. “2K’s studios have creative and technical autonomy, backed by a world-class infrastructure of support, and that offers the perfect recipe to build a new studio and craft experiences that will lead the next generation of gaming for fans everywhere.

“David [Ismailer] and the dedicated people at 2K and Take-Two have an extensive history of rich and established brands, as well as a long tenure of executive leadership committed to supporting the ambitions of their independent studio teams. Today’s announcement represents a rare and special opportunity for developers to help build and shape a new Silicon Valley studio from the ground up. I couldn’t be more excited, or thankful, to embark on this next step in my career.”

In the past, Condrey has personally addressed player concerns over Call of Duty issues, including matchmaking and banning policies in Advanced Warfare.

In our review of Call of Duty: WW2, we called the game “Great” saying “Whether you’re crawling through the trenches in the campaign’s D-Day landing, fighting on the competitive battlefields, or lopping off gruesome undead soldiers’ heads in Nazi Zombies, Call of Duty: WW2 offers a surprisingly fast-paced and fun World War II experience.”

Colin Stevens is a news writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.