Ever since the release of Treyarch’sCall of Duty: World At Warin 2008, theCall of Dutyfranchise has consisted of three major pillars in its annual offering: the story-focused single-player campaign, the series' iconic online multiplayer, and the rotating third cooperative mode. After Infinity Ward’s Spec Ops and Extinction modes failed to capture the magic of Treyarch’s Zombies, it soon became the staple third pillar, taking on a handful of different incarnations from the three developers. However, after more than a decade of the same zombie-killing horde mode, is it time for Treyarch to try something new withCall of Duty 2020?
A Brief History of Zombies
Originally known as Nazi Zombies, the game mode was developed as a secret side mode inCall of Duty: World at Warthat would unlock after the player completed the game’s campaign mode. Fans instantly fell in love with the new Zombies mode, so Treyarch jumped into action and developed three new maps that released alongside each DLC map pack that introduced perks, the pack-a-punch, zombie dogs, new wonder weapons, and kicked off a new storyline told through multi-step Easter Eggs; all of which would become staple features in future games. Nazi Zombies took off in a way that Treyarch and Activision could never have expected, so when it came time for the developer to releaseits next game,Call of Duty: Black Ops, Zombies was a new permanent fixture.
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Evolution of the Third Mode
Activision and Treyarch went all out for the release ofBlack OpsandBlack Ops 2, not only by making Zombies a permanent third pillar that was as important as the campaign and multiplayer modes, but also a major selling point for Treyarch games.Black Opslaunched with three brand new Zombies maps including the top-down shooter Dead Ops Arcade and released an additional four new maps as DLC, as well as remakes of the four original maps fromWorld at War. ForBlack Ops2, while DLC maps stuck to the formula, the base game added three new modes including the open TranZit, and the multiplayer-focused Grief and Turned.
At this point in time, Infinity Ward has created three cooperation modes: Spec Ops, Survival, and Extinction; none of which were able to capture the same magic, leading toZombies becoming the permanent third modenot only for Treyarch, but Infinity Ward and the newly acquire Sledgehammer Games too.
Different Types of Zombies
ForAdvanced Warfare,Infinite Warfare, andWWII, Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games created its own unique versions of the Zombies Mode. While the gameplay formula was mostly the same for each game as a way to hold consistently for fans of the mode, each iteration had its own twist. Exo Zombies released as part of the DLC forAdvanced Warfareand took advantage of the advanced movement;Infinite WarfareZombies was based on Hollywoodand horror movies, with each map featuring its own unique time period and movie genre;WWIIreturned to the Nazi Zombies era with a sharp focus on horror and gore, introducing difficulty levels and the highest number of unique maps in the series. Between all three developers, players have fought off Nazi Zombies, zombies in space, dragons, robots, traveled through time, and so much more.
Lukewarm Reception to Black Ops 4
While each iteration of the Zombies mode had its fans, the community has long looked toward Treyarch as the lead developer and its version as the “proper” Zombies. By the timeCall of Duty: Black Ops 3came out, the Zombies formula was already desperately in need of innovation andBlack Ops 4landed with a very lukewarm thud as a result. On one hand, there was four maps available at launch, as well as four DLC maps, new customization options, custom load-outs, a reworked Perk system, the new Rush game mode, and a new set of characters. On the other hand,Black Ops 4’s Zombies mode was a messand a shell of its former self with a confusing storyline, a less exciting perk system, a heavy focus on microtransactions, and three of the eight maps being remakes.
The Unfortunate Return of Spec Ops
For last year’sModern Warfarereboot, Infinity Ward chose to return to Spec Ops as the team felt it was a better fit for its vision of the game and story it wanted to tell. Unfortunately, the reception to the latest version of Spec Ops has been less than stellar due to poor difficulty balancing, repetitive gameplay, and a lack of compelling storytelling after the mode was marketed as an extension of the campaign. OnceCall of Duty: Warzonereleased, there was no reason to return to Spec Ops outside of the occasional DLC mission and a number of players have ended upuninstalling Spec Ops to reduce the game file size. While Battle Royale modes likeBlackoutandWarzonehave been immensely successful, players are growing tired of Zombies and its clone competitive modes.
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Should Call of Duty 2020 Ditch Zombies?
Should Treyarch ditch the Zombies mode forCall of Duty 2020and try something new? Well, yes and no. Outright removing the mode would upset a lot of long-term fans, but Treyarch’s current incarnation has absolutely run its course particularly afterthe loss of Jason Blundell and Lee Ross, two major figureheads behind its creative vision. Something new is definitely required.
According to recent rumors,Black Ops 4was originally planned to get one final DLC pack withremakes of TranZit, Die Rise, and Buried; however, development was delayed due to COVID-19 and the maps are now being saved forCall of Duty 2020. Treyarch could use the power of next-gen consoles to build out its original vision TranZit as one example. Move away from the traditional horde-mode formula and create a new version of Zombies with a more open map, multiple locations, new enemy types, boss battles, a new storyline with missions, and the iconic Easter Eggs everyone knows and loves. To make people interested in Zombies again, it needs to be reconfigured all the way down to its concept, but if there’s a developer that can do it, it’s Treyarch.
Call of Duty 2020is in development for unannounced platforms.
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