Game Designer
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
Combat/Systems Designer
Released: Nov 2025
Studio: Treyarch
Time: 2 Years
Overview
I was responsible for designing the enemy experience for every AI type featured in the zombies game mode.
Some of the enemies were brand new, while others were reworked. This process involved many different aspects, from pitching new archetypes during pre-production and production to tuning and bug-fixing after the launch. Additionally, I designed three bosses, implemented or advised on round spawning for every Survival map and launched Zombies map, and conducted audits of enemy characters in other game modes.
Slideshow of the Bo7 Content that I worked on
Key System and Design Contributions
Content Design
I got the opportunity to expand my responsibilities to tune, implement, and design (some inherited other my own) some side quests as well as map mechanics such as traps and supporting other content needs.
Bear Attack Side Quest
A Side Quest on Ashes of the Damned initially designed by: Anthony Norcott; It is a quest where players follow a set of prints eventually finding a Bear (Community Called Mama Bear) that if you defeat with melee only you get a unique reward. I inherited this design and quest working with partner teams to ship it!
Quick video of a player doing the side quest (otherwise known as a easter egg)
Electro Shock Trap
A trap that will electrify and kill incoming zombies, I was in charge with Tunings and Polish to Ship working with partners to ensure it is a shocking release.
Enemy Archetypes
The design philosophy I developed throughout this project was that an enemy encounter should ideally teach the player something to imrove at. To that end it was important to define some core principles. My Design Pillars were as follows:
Readability First
Every attack gets a clear tell before it lands. Players should lose to a mistake they can name, not to a surprise.
Reward Mastery
Weak points, elemental damage, and armor breaks reward players who analyze an enemy's abilities rather than those who simply shoot continuously.
Keep Players Moving
From hound explosions to Super Sprinters and webbed ground, most of my enemy designs punish standing still and reward continuous repositioning. This approach aligns with the higher movement found in BO7.
An Example of a big tell before the Zursa Dies
Boss Fight Designs
This portfolio piece focuses on Boss Fight Designs to showcase the complexity and the different problems and solutions that came up. As mentioned above, this doesn't cover the full scope of work I did on this project. I hope it helps communicates the type of designer I am and how I approach larger-scale designs.
Note: Some things are covered by an NDA
Veytherion (Boss Fight)
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Image of Veytherion Post-Fight
I was thrilled to drive the design of the first vehicle-based boss fight in Zombies: Veytherion, which serves as the climactic conclusion to the Ashes of the Damned Main Quest. This Main Quest showcases the largest map ever created in the Zombies series.
As the grand finale, this fight delivers an engaging encounter that surprises and challenges players, compelling them to master the unique Wonder Vehicle, Ol' Tessie, to achieve victory. From initial concept to final launch, I led the design, working closely with a talented array of teams, including Production, Engineering, Leadership, Creative, VFX, Art, Sound, and more. This collaboration was crucial to delivering a polished, balanced experience for the players.
The core goal of this fight is clear: players must effectively use Ol' Tessie, the Wonder Vehicle, to succeed.
Full Version of the Fight
At High Level
This fight is a phase-based vehicle boss fought from the driver's seat of Ol' Tessie. To succeed, players ram and shoot a hulking, monstrous creature while chasing down Aetheric Energy drops for a short window to stun it and expose weak points as they advance through the phases
Signature Mechanic and Learning
The Aetheric Energy
When driving over this. Ol' Tessie becomes empowered. Dealing a Pulse of damage and colliding with the boss will detonate the energy stunning the boss. This is the only way to progress the fight in some stages leaning into the core goal of the players must use Tessie to succeed. Also ties vehicle combat directly to a risk-reward timer. Hold the charge too long, or fail to close the distance, and the damage window is wasted.
Key Learning
For this Fight I wanted the Immune Phase to have player participating in the fight during that moment. Something I learned from Black Ops 6 Bosses is having a goal or agency during these breaks in the combat helped with pacing and the fight feel more dynamic.
Fight Structure
Phase 1 & 2
The Squad drives Ol' Tessie to ram and shoot Veytharion while breaking of armor and dealing enough damage to reach the immune phase.
Immune Windows
The Boss enters an immunity mode resulting in it spinning out. In this state damage has a chance to drop Aetheric Energy onto the floor. Driving over it arms Ol' Tessie for an outward blast that damages nearby enemies and ramming it into the boss will stun the boss it revealing a weakpoint. Dealing enough damage to the weakpoint advances the phase.
Phase 3
The Full attack kit specifically a BIg Beam that will melt through the cars health. Player must Ram the boss with Tessie to stop the attack from triggering, creating this tension as the fight is entering it's Climax.
Nyxara (Boss Fight)
Cut out Video from the Intro Cutscene of the Map
I was able to design a Dragon Fight with Nyxara Post the Main Quest of Kuwakujo. I again worked from Concept to Ship owning design, working with partners teams; Production, Engineering, Leadership, Creative, VFX, ART, Sounds, and many more. To deliver the shipped version of the fight as well as balancing it for players.
The Core Goal of the fight was: Players must move
Full Gameplay of the Entire Fight
At High Level
This fight is phase-based, where players must charge up banners to protect themselves from the giant undead dragon. Fought high in the sky with a giant Volcano as the backdrop. To succeed, players shoot weakpoints, while chasing down Banners as they navigate a dangerous, fire-filled arena to create opportunities to damage the boss as they advance through the phases.
Fight Structure
Phase 1
Breath attacks and Banner charging introduce the core loop while base and armored zombies pressure the ground
Immune Windows
The Volcano Erupts, and Falling Hazards rain down on the playspace. Additionally, Oni with Banners are spawned to allow players to continue charging the Banners
Phase 2
Adds the Winged Tornado attack; up to four tornadoes chase the players as they navigate the space. To activate the Banners, players must capture 2 banner locations as the fight is escalating.
Phase 3
Full attack kit plus an accelerated falling-rock hazard during the phase. There are fewer weak points challenging players' accuracy, and there are now 3 Banners players must charge up
Signature Mechanic and Learning
The Banners
The Banners play a crucial role in this fight, providing safe zones and increasing damage output for players who are inside them. To activate the Banners, players must carry a banner to specific locations marked in the boss arena. After planting the banners, players need to charge them by standing close. Once fully charged, the Banner activates, granting safety and a damage boost.
Key Learning
In this fight, I emphasized the importance of players being actively engaged when the boss is out of the play space. The Oni carrying banners serves a dual purpose during the immune phase by allowing players to set up the banners while the boss is immune.
I also learned that camera space greatly impacts how the fight is perceived. With so much happening, it was essential to keep everything clear and understandable for the players. We implemented techniques such as curving the fireballs that Nyxara shoots while flying around the arena, and we added UI indicators for objects that might fall outside the players' view.
Charging up the Banner in the boss fight
Warden (Boss Fight)
I’ll conclude with the Warden fight, which serves as the final boss battle of the game and wraps up the Rex Infernus Main Quest. This encounter demanded a tremendous amount of collaboration and effort from everyone involved. Like the previous two fights, I was responsible for the design from concept to final delivery, working closely with various partner teams, including Production, Engineering, Leadership, Creative, VFX, Art, Sound, and many others. Our goal as always was to deliver a polished version of the fight while ensuring it was well-balanced for players.
The core objective of this fight was: to surprise and challenge the players.
Full Fight: Runs from :59 - 15:27
At High Level
This fight is phase-based, where players must fight the Warden, who has mutated into a scorpion. Move over Dwyane, there's a new Scorpion King in town. To do this, players must destroy orbiting skulls around the Warden to expose his stinger, which serves as his weak spot. The Warden has a ton of tricks and surprises, including Combo Attacks, Charges, Wipe Attacks, Fake Death and summoning enemies to overcome.
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The Warden in his scorpion form
Signature Mechanic and Learning
The Dungeon
Instead of a standard death, when a player dies, they receive one opportunity for a personal, isolated trial. If they succeed, they return with a temporary Blessing, such as a speed boost. If they fail, they come back with a minor Curse, like a speed debuff. This mechanic serves as a comeback moment rather than an infinite safety net, creating a controlled fail-forward system that maintains both pacing and tension.
This design keeps players engaged longer and adds an element of surprise. Skilled players will encounter this mechanic after phase 2, as the Warden forces a Dungeon visit during that immune phase, using the one opportunity by force and raising the stakes for phase 3. The goal is to create a fail-forward system where a player struggling can have multiple attempts to overcome and master the boss fight in one run, while still preserving the balance we intended for this encounter.
Key Learning
This boss is intentionally designed to be one of the tougher fights in the game, as it serves as the showdown. When players die, and they will die, they need to pinpoint their mistakes and learn from them. This approach mirrors the design philosophy seen in Souls-like games and Zelda bosses, where difficulty enhances the experience rather than overwhelming it. The Warden dungeon mechanic serves to enhance the experience for players having a hard time so they can have more opportunities to learn from the fight.
When players can clearly identify why they were hit and understand how to avoid those mistakes in the future, it improves the balance, and I believe players really value that challenge and learning. Makes overcoming it all the more satisfying!
Fight Structure
Phase 1
The Warden uses their core moves, charge, dash and claw/tail attacks to teach spacing and telegraph recognition against zombie pressure.
Immune Windows
The Warden retreats out of the arena, and Shadow Souls appear. These Souls will give the Warden shields if not destroyed, reducing incoming damage. During the Immune Phases, players can destroy them.
Phase 2
The Warden summons stingers that shrink the safe space in the arena. Deploys an attack that bombards over players. Both layer on top of the move set, increasing difficulty.
Phase 3
Every ability is here; Stingers threaten a squad-wide wipe if left unchecked, and a Fake Death twist heals the boss and floods the arena with threats right as players think they've won.
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Image from the fight showcasing the numerous elements in the later phases
Key Design Takeaways on the Project:
Readability Builds Fair Difficulty
Challenge only feels fair when players can trace a failure back to a cause they could have acted on. Clear telegraphing turns frustration into learning, and that is what lets a designer push difficulty higher.
A One-Line Core Goal/Pillar helps inform a design
A single sentence describing what the player must do keeps mechanics, pacing, and cross-discipline feedback aligned. When a feature doesn’t serve that sentence, it’s easier to spot and cut.
Downtime Is a Design Opportunity
Any moment where the player’s main loop pauses risks breaking momentum. Giving players a secondary goal during those gaps keeps them engaged and the pacing intact.
Mechanics Should Make the Intended Behavior the Best Option
Players follow the path of greatest reward, so the most effective strategy should be the one you want them to learn. Tying a signature mechanic to a risk-reward tradeoff makes engagement a choice players want to make, not a rule they have to follow.
Soften Failure Without Removing Stakes
Fail-forward systems give struggling players more chances to learn while still carrying a cost, so difficulty stays meaningful. Used well, they keep players invested through the hardest content instead of pushing them out of it.