Explosive Twist: Modern Warfare 2019 Almost Unleashed an Epic Zombies

Highlights

The Zombies mode of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare was initially planned to carry on in the Modern Warfare reboot of 2019. However, it was ultimately removed and replaced by a revival of Special Ops, mainly because of Modern Warfare's emphasis on realism.

The campy 80s-themed Zombies mode in Infinite Warfare was a breath of fresh air, but it didn't align well with the ultra-realistic tone of Modern Warfare (2019).

It has been disclosed that the Zombies mode, initially introduced in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, was intended to be carried forward in the Modern Warfare reboot of 2019. The upcoming release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will feature 16 remade multiplayer maps from Modern Warfare 2 (2009) upon launch, and it will also introduce Zombies to the Modern Warfare subseries for the very first time.

The groundbreaking original Modern Warfare trilogy was developed by Infinity Ward, the studio behind the popular Call of Duty series. In 2013, Infinity Ward decided to explore new ideas and moved away from the sub-series. Prior to that, their co-op modes consisted solely of Special Ops missions. However, with the release of Call of Duty: Ghosts, the studio took a risk by introducing Extinction, a co-op mode centered around fighting aliens. The reception to this mode was mixed, but it marked an important milestone for the seasoned studio as they sought to bring fresh elements into their games. In 2016, as part of their rotation with the Call of Duty series, Infinity Ward delved into Zombies for the first time with Infinite Warfare. They released a total of five Zombies maps, one of which featured the return of the aliens from Ghosts' Extinction mode.

Leading up to the highly anticipated release of Modern Warfare 3 next month, there has been much excitement about the introduction of Zombies. Former Infinity Ward developer Lee Ross shared some interesting details on Twitter about the studio's involvement with Zombies. He mentioned that the original plan for the reboot of Modern Warfare in 2019 was to continue the Zombies mode from Infinite Warfare. However, due to the studio's focus on realism in Modern Warfare (2019), the Zombies mode was ultimately scrapped in favor of a return to the Special Ops mode.

Infinite Warfare's 80s-themed Zombies mode, with maps like Zombies in Spaceland and Rave in the Redwoods, provided a refreshing experience. However, it was understandable why this campy mode was not included in the ultra-realistic Modern Warfare (2019). Yet, four years later, Modern Warfare 2 allows players to embody iconic characters such as Skeletor and Evil Dead's Ash Williams. This shows that Infinity Ward has become more open to exploring non-realistic elements outside of its story campaigns. There may be a chance for Infinite Warfare's Zombies mode to continue, either within a Modern Warfare title or as part of something entirely new from Infinity Ward in the future.

Although Zombies are making their first appearance in Modern Warfare, the development of this mode is not done by Infinity Ward. Instead, Treyarch, who is known for the Black Ops subseries, is in charge of creating the mode. While Treyarch has a strong reputation for creating popular Zombies maps, it appears that Modern Warfare's Zombies mode will heavily draw inspiration from the open world style of Zombies featured in Call of Duty's Warzone. While this has caused some concern among Call of Duty Zombies fans, there are still many eagerly awaiting the release of Modern Warfare's inaugural Zombies mode on November 10.

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is available for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Source: Reddit