Summary
- Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare's Zombies mode was originally intended to continue in 2019's Modern Warfare reboot but was ultimately cut in favor of a return to Special Ops due to the focus on realism in Modern Warfare.
- Infinite Warfare's campy 80s-themed Zombies mode was refreshing, but it wouldn't have fit well with the ultra-realistic tone of Modern Warfare (2019).
It's been revealed that the Zombies mode from Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare was meant to be continued in 2019's Modern Warfare reboot. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is right around the corner and will bring 16 remade Modern Warfare 2 (2009) multiplayer maps at launch. It'll also look to bring Zombies to the Modern Warfare subseries for the first time ever.
The Call of Duty studio responsible for the groundbreaking original Modern Warfare trilogy, Infinity Ward, stepped away from the popular sub-series in 2013 in favor of new ideas. Up to that point, Infinity Ward's co-op modes consisted exclusively of Special Ops missions, but with Call of Duty: Ghosts, the lauded FPS studio took a chance on Extinction. The alien-slaying co-op mode was met with mixed reception, but it was an important first step for a veteran studio looking to shake things up. For its next turn as part of the Call of Duty studio rotation, Infinity Ward tried its hand at Zombies for the very first time in 2016's Infinite Warfare, releasing a total of five Zombies maps, with one of them bringing back the aliens from Ghosts' Extinction mode.
There's been a lot of buzz surrounding the lead up to Modern Warfare 3 next month with its much anticipated Zombies debut. On Twitter, former Infinity Ward developer Lee Ross shared some insight into the studio's relationship with Zombies, stating that 2019's Modern Warfare reboot was originally meant to contain the continuation of Infinite Warfare's Zombies mode. Ross added that the studio's focus on realism for Modern Warfare (2019) led to the Zombies mode being cut in favor of a return to Special Ops.
With maps like Zombies in Spaceland and Rave in the Redwoods, Infinite Warfare's campy 80s-themed Zombies mode was refreshing. However, it's easy to see why its continuation in the ultra-realistic Modern Warfare (2019) was scrapped. That said, four years later players are currently able to run around as Skeletor and Evil Dead's Ash Williams in Modern Warfare 2. It's clear Infinity Ward has since become much more laxed on its commitment to realism outside its story campaigns. Perhaps there's still a chance for Infinite Warfare's Zombies to finally see its continuation, if not within a Modern Warfare title, then maybe as part of something new from Infinity Ward in the future.
Despite Zombies coming to Modern Warfare for the first time ever, the mode isn't being developed Infinity Ward. Treyarch, responsible for the Black Ops subseries, is handling the mode instead. While Treyarch certainly has more pedigree when it comes to making beloved Zombies maps, it seems Modern Warfare 3's open world style of Zombies is leaning heavily on Call of Duty's Warzone template. Despite this causing some pause for many Call of Duty Zombies fans, there are still many who are excited to see how Modern Warfare's very first Zombies mode pans out on November 10.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: Reddit