Draft:Dusty Welch

Dusty Welch is an American video game developer and executive. Welch serves as the CEO for game development studio Wildlight Entertainment. Previously, Welch most recently served as the chief operating officer of Respawn Entertainment and general manager of Apex Legends. Prior to Respawn, Welch co-founded and launched the Call of Duty Franchise at Activision, and founded startup U4iA Games.

Activision
At Activision Welch was credited with founding and launching the Call of Duty franchise. After the success of Call of Duty, Welch became the general manager of the Guitar Hero franchise within the company, overseeing publishing, marketing, and studio development from 2006 to 2009. A period through which the franchise saw record-breaking sales.

U4iA Games
At the end of 2011, Welch became the Founder and CEO of U4iA Games. Welch co-founded the studio with Chris Archer, executive producer of Activision Publishing, with a focus on creating first-person social video games with Welch's efforts aiming at dethroning top industry titles. The company’s first game, Offensive Combat, was released for browsers and mobile platforms in 2012, such as the Ouya. This lead to a deal Welch negotiated with Major League Gaming to feature the title. As of January 15, 2014, the studio ceased operations.

Respawn Entertainment
In 2014, Welch joined Respawn Entertainment as Chief Operating Officer (COO). At Respawn, Welch published Titanfall 2, Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, and Apex Legends, a massive multiplayer online first-person shooter game. Upon launching Apex Legends, Welch became the general manager for Apex Legends, overseeing the development team, global franchise, and esports operations. Welch then elaborated on the importance of crossplay for Apex Legends in April 2020. In May 2020, during Respawn's Ten Year Anniversary, Welch oversaw the founding of a second studio within Respawn to focus on Apex Legends. In January 2021, Welch revealed that Respawn had started work on a game that had its focus on replayability.

Wildlight Entertainment
In February 2021, Welch was revealed as the CEO of game development studio Wildlight Entertainment, heading the development of a still unannounced fully-funded shooter title.

Honors and awards
In 2021, Welch was nominated for and received an Academy Award as an executive producer for “Colette,” a World War II based documentary associated with Respawn Entertainment.