Craig Houston, Treyarch’s senior lead writer and the main voice behind Call of Duty Zombies, says he’s been laid off after about 20 years at the studio. As Eurogamer reports, Houston shared the news in posts on X and LinkedIn, thanking fans for their enthusiasm and support over two decades.
“After approximately 20 years, I was sadly one of those affected by recent layoffs,” Houston wrote. He added that he’s proud to have worked with so many talented people, many of whom he expects to stay friends for life. On X, he attached the message to a video celebrating 30 years of Treyarch that features footage from games he worked on.
Where the cut fits
Houston didn’t give a reason, but Eurogamer says it appears to be part of the Xbox reorganisation announced earlier this year. DualShockers reaches the same reading, and notes that Treyarch sits under Activision Blizzard, which Xbox owns. The scale of that programme explains why a studio as established as Treyarch isn’t insulated. In a post on Xbox Wire on 6 July, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said the company would reduce its team by approximately 3,200 through FY27, with about 1,600 role eliminations that day. She added that reductions vary in size across Activision, Bethesda/ZeniMax, Blizzard, King, Mojang and Xbox Game Studios.
A career built on Treyarch’s campaigns and Zombies
Eurogamer’s rundown of his credits shows how far back the work goes. Houston’s first Call of Duty title at Treyarch was Call of Duty 3, where he worked as a video editor. He then moved into writing and design on World at War and Black Ops 1 through 4. On later games, including Black Ops 6 and Black Ops 7, he’s listed in the design team and in creative development. Eurogamer adds that he isn’t credited on this year’s Modern Warfare 4.
The Zombies connection is what most players will know him for. Eurogamer describes him as the main writer for the mode since World at War in 2008, and a central creative force behind Treyarch’s campaigns since 2006. Alongside Jimmy Zielinski, Jason Blundell and Kevin Drew, he helped turn Zombies from a bonus unlock into one of the series’ defining modes. That history is why the reaction has come mostly from the Zombies community, where Eurogamer says he’s well respected.
Tributes also came from inside the industry. Former Treyarch developer Tony Flame replied to Houston’s X post to say it was an honour to work with him, and that he’d created an experience that will live on for millions of fans. DualShockers likewise reports tributes from fans and former colleagues. Houston is one of several long-serving developers to leave big-budget studios recently; we also covered Glen Schofield stepping away from game development.
Is Houston’s exit part of Xbox’s 3,200-job restructure?
Houston only referred to “recent layoffs”, and Eurogamer says it appears to be part of the restructure. Xbox’s July post said the cuts vary in size across Activision and other units, but the sources we’ve read don’t list affected Treyarch roles.
How much of the Xbox job-cut plan is done?
The Hollywood Reporter reported that Xbox cut another 268 roles in an internal memo from chief content officer Matt Booty. That memo put the company roughly three-quarters of the way through the previously announced restructuring, including studio divestitures.
