Gavin Goslin, a veteran level designer at Treyarch during the production of Call of Duty: Black Ops and its sequel, admitted that it is painful to watch Activision and Microsoft pull in hundreds of millions of dollars rereleasing classic titles without compensating the original developers.
The developer shared his candid thoughts through a post on LinkedIn following the recent rereleases of the series on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. These adaptations sold over 11 million copies and generated 435 million dollars in just one month, a staggering sum that reopened old wounds for those who were part of the original team.
A bittersweet success marked by severe crunch
Goslin described the situation as deeply bittersweet. On one hand, seeing games built over a decade ago continue to captivate millions of players worldwide proves the enduring quality of their craftsmanship. However, witnessing executives pocket massive fortunes from code and level designs forged through months of brutal crunch leaves a bitter taste for those who endured that toll firsthand.
During the golden era of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Call of Duty development cycles were notoriously grueling. Treyarch teams faced grueling work hours under relentless pressure to meet strict annual launch deadlines. That sacrifice shaped two of the most beloved and acclaimed entries in first-person shooter history, but the physical and emotional cost for the creators was immense.
The underlying issue Goslin highlights stems from standard employment contracts across the mainstream gaming industry. Unlike the film, television, or music sectors, interactive software creators rarely retain rights to retroactive royalties or residuals when their work is remastered, ported, or resold on modern platforms years later.
The absence of residuals in the era of nostalgic rereleases
Goslin's public reflection sparked widespread discussion among industry professionals and fans alike. Today, legacy catalogs represent one of the most lucrative passive revenue streams for major publishers. With relatively low technical overhead compared to building a ground-up triple-A release, games like Call of Duty: Black Ops can easily bring in hundreds of millions of dollars fueled by nostalgia.
For the designer, the widening economic gap between the developers who coded, crafted, and polished every corner of those iconic maps and the corporate executives who celebrate record-breaking earnings today is deeply frustrating. His message did not aim to discredit the teams porting the games, but rather to spotlight an employment model where the original authors remain entirely cut off from the long-term wealth they helped create.
Conversations around residual rights and fair compensation for game developers continue to gain momentum across the industry. As the surge of ports, remasters, and enhanced editions keeps dominating modern platforms, testimonies like Gavin Goslin's serve as a reminder that behind every timeless classic were individuals who poured years of their lives into projects that still fail to reward the lasting value of their labor.