Call of Duty Zombies is one of the most popular, cult classic modes to come out of the Call of Duty ecosystem since it surfaced more than two decades ago. It has been enjoyed by millions of gamers the world over, with each associated Call of Duty studio putting its own spin on the concept over the years. Recently, it was revealed that we almost had a standalone, live-service COD Zombies game, but it was canned more than a decade ago.
It Writes Itself
There’s no doubt that a standalone COD Zombies game would sell well – it’s one of the most attractive aspects of the Call of Duty franchise for many players. It was recently suggested that we almost had that, but it was canned midway through being developed more than ten years ago. On the LinkedIn profile of Michael Gummelt, a former Raven Software developer, it was claimed that a live-service Call of Duty Zombies game was in active development between the releases of Modern Warfare 3 (2011) and Black Ops II (2012).
Gummelt, who has since relocated to ZeniMax Online Studios, wrote:
Lead Designer on an ambitious new Call of Duty: Zombies live service project. Cancelled when the ATVI studio that ‘owned’ that part of the Call of Duty IP wanted it back.’
Since then, times have changed. We now have a live-service Zombies game, but it’s wrapped up in Modern Warfare 3. Over time, COD Zombies in MW3 is being updated and evolved, with new events, weapons, and challenges being added periodically. It’s not a standalone game, but it’s basically marketed as such these days.
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