Call of Duty: Zombies has been a popular game mode ever since its introduction in Call of Duty: World at War back in 2008. However, over the years, some zombie modes have been removed or replaced in newer Call of Duty titles. There are a few key reasons why particular zombie modes may have been removed.
Licensing Issues
One of the main reasons a specific zombies mode may have been removed was due to licensing issues. For example, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War did not include the fan favorite Zombies map, Kino der Toten. This is because Activision’s licensing agreement with the band Avenged Sevenfold had expired. The band’s music is featured prominently on Kino der Toten, so the licensing issues prevented it from being included in Cold War.
Similarly, licensing agreements with actors may have prevented certain zombie characters or storylines from being included in newer games. For example, Sarah Michelle Gellar portrayed a playable character in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Zombies, but her likeness could not be carried over to future games without negotiating a new deal.
Switching Development Teams
Another reason particular zombie modes were removed was due to development duties switching between different Call of Duty studios. For example, Sledgehammer Games developed Call of Duty: WWII, so they created The Final Reich zombies map from scratch. Meanwhile, Treyarch returned as the lead developer for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, so they brought back their Aether story zombies mode rather than continuing The Final Reich.
When development cycles change, the new studio may prefer to implement their own zombie ideas rather than continue an existing game mode they didn’t create. This inevitably results in some fan favorite zombie modes being left behind when a new studio takes over.
Negative Fan Feedback
In some cases, certain zombie modes were removed or replaced due to heavy criticism and negative feedback from the Call of Duty fan base. For example, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare had a unique zombie mode called Zombies in Spaceland, with a kitschy 1980s theme and unique gameplay elements like skill tickets and afterlife mode.
However, many fans negatively compared Infinite Warfare’s lighthearted zombies to Treyarch’s more serious Aether storyline. Due to the poor reception, Infinity Ward dropped the campy Zombies in Spaceland mode for Call of Duty: WWII, instead creating the more gritty The Final Reich zombies map.
Story Conclusion
Activision also retired some zombie modes in order to conclude their overarching narrative. The Aether story spanned multiple Black Ops games before concluding with Tag der Toten in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. This allowed Treyarch to end the long-running Aether storyline so they could start fresh with the Dark Aether story in Cold War.
Retiring old zombie modes is necessary when their core narrative has run its course and Activision wants each studio to kick off new storylines rather than continuing old ones indefinitely.
Gameplay Stagnation
In other cases, certain zombie modes were replaced to help refresh the gameplay and prevent it from feeling stale. Even though classic maps like Nacht der Untoten are iconic, playing the same static maps with the same core mechanics for years can make zombies feel repetitive.
By retiring fan favorite modes and creating new zombie stories and gameplay innovations, Activision tries to breathe fresh life into zombies and get players excited again. These big changes come at the expense of losing classic maps, but help prevent zombies from getting stale.
Focus on Other Priorities
Finally, Activision may have chosen to move development resources away from zombies in order to focus on other priorities for a particular title. For example, Spec Ops received a major overhaul in Modern Warfare 2019 compared to previous installments. The upgraded Spec Ops required a lot of time and attention from Infinity Ward.
As a trade off, Modern Warfare launched without a traditional zombies mode, since the studio had prioritized improving the Spec Ops experience instead. Shifting resources to highlight new modes or gameplay sometimes comes at the cost of scaling back zombies.
The Future of Call of Duty Zombies
While fan favorite zombie modes have come and gone over the years, the core zombies experience lives on in newer Call of Duty games. Treyarch continues to push the Dark Aether story forward in games like Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and the recently released Call of Duty: Vanguard.
It remains to be seen whether future installments will bring back any classic maps or zombie stories. But Activision seems committed to keeping zombies an exciting and evolving component of the Call of Duty franchise. Retiring old zombie modes allows for new innovation and creativity so the experience doesn’t go stale.
Although players may miss the original zombies from World at War or Black Ops, the future likely holds brand new memorable zombie modes that will become iconic in their own right. The fundamental appeal of cooperative zombie slaying remains strong, even as the specific modes continue to change over time.
Key Takeaways
- Licensing issues, especially relating to music, has prevented fan favorite zombie maps from being included in newer games.
- Different development studios prefer to create their own zombie modes rather than continue an existing one.
- Negative feedback can prompt Activision to retire unpopular zombie modes.
- Concluding zombie storyline arcs allows new narratives to begin.
- Replacing stale zombie modes helps keep the experience feeling fresh.
- Focusing resources on innovating multiplayer or other modes sometimes comes at the expense of zombies.
While the specific zombie modes change over time, the core appeal of Call of Duty zombies lives on through continued innovation and new directions for the experience.