The mastermind behind the wildly-popular Call of Duty: Black Ops series has offloaded the custom-built Brentwood retreat where he conceived the beloved video game franchise—18 months after he put the sprawling property on the market.
British native Dave Anthony, who has been hailed as the “billion-dollar game designer” thanks to his work on the Call of Duty series, initially listed his English-inspired mansion for just under $27 million in May 2024, 14 years after buying the parcel on which his home sits for just $3.5 million.
However, while his violent apocalyptic video games may have sold like hotcakes, his opulent abode took longer to hit the mark with buyers—and it was only after multiple price reductions that he managed to offload it, with records indicating that he accepted a $22 million offer.
That deal for the property, which was co-listed by Aaron Kirman of Christie’s International Real Estate Southern California and Drew Fenton of Carolwood Estates, officially closed on Nov. 19, 15 years after the first installment of Anthony’s Call of Duty games first debuted to rapturous excitement from the gaming industry.
Since then, the Call of Duty franchise, known by some as CoD, has grossed more than $35 billion in revenue—although Anthony left the company responsible for making it in 2013, according to The Wall Street Journal.
His decision to step back from the franchise he is credited with creating came three years after he and his wife, Betim, moved into the original 1940s home that once occupied the lot where his megamansion now sits—and five years before the couple tore that property down to make way for their custom-designed dream home.
Anthony’s long-running love of video games, which began as a child, had a significant impact on the design of the seven-bedroom, 8.5-bathroom mansion, which features all manner of high-tech amenities, including a secret server room concealed by a hidden door in his soundproofed office.
That space also doubles up as a panic room, the video game mogul revealed to the WSJ when he first put his home on the market.
Other incredible features of the home include a soundproofed screening room, a huge entertainment lounge with a wet bar and billiards table, a retractable 100″ projector screen in the primary suite, and a fountain in the grounds with special lights that can be choreographed to music.
While the property boasts more modern design features than one might find in a Silicon Valley office complex however, the aesthetic of the home pays tribute to Anthony’s home country—featuring an English-inspired design inside and out.
Anthony credited his creation of Call of Duty for inspiring his immense attention to detail throughout the home, explaining that he followed a similar process in designing his home as he had when he dreamed up the video game universe.
“When you’re making a videogame, you’re creating a world and it has to be very, very consistent when you’re in it,” he told the WSJ. “If there’s anything that takes you out of that world, then you lose your audience.”
Despite its very classic, elegant design, the home is a trove of modern marvels, including a state-of-the-art smart system, which includes “automated drapery throughout,” according to details shared with Realtor.com®.
The kitchen, which is a bright and airy space with a stunning wood paneled ceiling and heated floors, boasts what the listing described as “one of Los Angeles’ last permitted wood-burning fireplaces,” which is also gas compatible.
Like many California homes, the property also prioritizes a blurred line between the indoors and outdoors, with huge walls of windows that open up to the lush grounds and picturesque swimming pool.
The dwelling was also designed with an H-shaped layout to “maximize natural light from every room.”
While Anthony and his wife did not disclose how much they spent building the property, they admitted to the WSJ that the cost was triple what they had initially expected to spend.
In short, no expense was spared on the property, with Anthony telling the outlet that he felt very “fortunate” to have been earning such “incredible amounts of money” that enabled him to build such an impressive dwelling for his family.
Which begs the question: why would they ever leave?
When he first listed the home, Anthony did not reveal where he and his wife were heading to next, only that he was ready to “move on to new things,” both professionally and personally.