Tulsa’s Chance Glasco shares 'Call of Duty' development journey

Chance Glasco, a Tulsa native and one of the creators of the iconic Call of Duty video game franchise, recently spoke with us about his path to gaming success.

Glasco, who now resides in Brazil, was part of the team that launched Call of Duty in 2003. Originally working out of Tulsa, Glasco and his colleagues developed the first game under Infinity Ward, a studio they started in the Triplex building across from ORU.

He shares his journey and the evolution of Call of Duty from a WWII game to a cultural phenomenon.

Q: Call of Duty came out in 2003. What was your life like leading up to that point? How did you get to Tulsa and become involved with the game?

Chance Glasco:

"So, as you might have guessed, I was born in Tulsa. Around when I was 5 or 6, there was some family drama, and legally, I was kidnapped and taken to Alabama and then Florida. I was technically a missing kid for a few years, but I knew where I was. Other people didn’t. I stayed in Florida, but I would go back to Tulsa and stay with my dad for about a month every year, so I always felt connected to Tulsa.

"I went to university in Orlando, and right after graduation, I moved to Los Angeles. I couldn’t find work, so after a month, I started driving back to Orlando. I stopped in Tulsa to visit family and ended up landing an internship on Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. After we shipped that game, 23 of us left and started Infinity Ward. That’s where we developed the first Call of Duty before moving to Los Angeles midway through the project."

Q: What were the early days of developing Call of Duty like?

Chance Glasco:

"We knew we could make a really good game. Activision gave us the freedom to do things we couldn’t on Medal of Honor, but it was still a new franchise. After we shipped the game, people would ask what I did, and I’d say I made video games. They’d ask which one, and I’d say Call of Duty, and they’d be like, ‘What’s that?’ It didn’t have a big spike in sales right away.

"It just climbed gradually as word got out. Multiplayer really hooked people, and over time, it became huge. I wouldn’t say it peaked at Modern Warfare 2, but that was probably the best game we made."

Q: How does it feel to see the franchise continue to grow?

Chance Glasco:

"It’s almost like The Simpsons—it’s been around so long that it feels like they’ve run out of ideas at times. It kind of wandered into left field, but I still enjoy playing Warzone. I spent more time making WWII games than America was actually in WWII, so moving to modern settings felt refreshing. These days, I don’t play much outside of Warzone."

Q: Who was the best player at Infinity Ward in the early days?

Chance Glasco:

"It definitely wasn’t me. Earl Hammon, another Tulsa native, was one of the best, especially from the Quake days. A lot of our dads came from the Quake scene. I can’t remember who was number one, but there were a few who always topped the scoreboards."

Q: You recently visited the OK Pop Museum in Tulsa. What was that experience like?

Chance Glasco:

"They’re still planning what to feature, but I hope it focuses more on the Call of Duty franchise rather than just me. There were about 25 of us who built the game, and I wouldn’t be here without the rest of the team. The museum itself is beautiful. Tulsa has changed so much over the past decade, with more art, music, and places like the Gathering Place. It’s become a really cool city."