Dusty Welch

Chief Operating Officer and GM of Apex Legends at Respawn Entertainment

DUSTY WELCH is credited with founding and launching the Call of Duty franchise during his 13+ years at Activision, and was the GM of the Guitar Hero business unit. Dusty is currently COO at Respawn Entertainment, and GM of the Apex Legends franchise. Academy Award winning Executive Producer for “Colette”, a WW2 based documentary. Dusty was a founder and CEO of a social character-based FPS gaming startup, U4iA Games. As SVP and Head of Publishing at Activision, Dusty operated as the GM of the Guitar Hero business unit overseeing publishing, marketing and studio development from 2006 to 2009, growing the franchise into the #1 Worldwide Entertainment Property. Dusty was selected as Brand Week's Top 10 Marketer in 2008 for his success in developing Guitar Hero into an iconic mainstream consumer brand. As VP Marketing, Dusty created and led the Core/Action Business Unit (Call of Duty).