While it raised its putrid, reanimated head in last year’s Advanced Warfare, Call of Duty: Black Ops III will mark the return of the feature’s founding father, as Treyarch will be bringing back its unique take on the series’ beloved Zombies Mode come November.
In fact, the studio even went so far as to say that the survival-based mode boasts enough content to be a fully-featured game in itself, with a “full, player XP based progression system” adding to the intoxicating gameplay loop that has ensured its enduring popularity. Speaking during a briefing, Treyarch’s studio head Mark Lamia touched upon Black Ops III‘s Zombies Mode, and all of the new-fangled bells and whistles it will herald.
“Black Ops Zombies will have its own full, player XP based progression system. That will add even more depth and replayability to what was already an inherently and really replayable mode. It’s not like anything in the campaign and it’s not like anything in the multiplayer. It’s its own game that ships with Black Ops 3.
“We know that Zombies is a very easy mode to get into, very accessible. We’ve got to be sure not to sacrifice that while we’re adding depth and replayability to it. We’re going to deliver a totally unique, mind-blowing creative. It’s not like anything in the campaign and it’s not like anything in the multiplayer. It’s its own game that ships with Black Ops 3.”
Ever since its humble debut as an end-game bonus in World at War, Zombies Mode has only grown in popularity with every passing iteration, as the studio introduced new maps, weapons and flesh-eating members of the undead to keep the formula fresh. Now, Treyarch is aiming to take that one step further with Call of Duty: Black Ops III and, if Lamia’s hyperbolic claims are to be believed, deliver what could be the best version of the survival mode to date.
Call of Duty: Blacks Ops III is poised to launch on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on November 6. For those who wish to partake in the shooter’s multiplayer beta, Treyarch has confirmed that spots are reserved for players who pre-order the game ahead of time.