No one believes me when I tell them that I play Call of Duty for the single-player experience. But spinning a tale of spending hours upon hours fighting the undead in the zombie mode of Call of Duty games? Now that’s believable. Far more believable than claiming that I actually got a kill-streak in the multiplayer that one time. I DID DAMMIT!
Call of Duty Zombies aren’t just a welcome addition to any of the games, they’re practically integral to the success of the game now. It’s pretty much impossible to imagine Treyarch not including that mode in their Call of Duty, but that was a part of the game that almost never made it into the final product.
That’s according to Treyarch’s big boss Mark Lamia, who described the last minute addition of the undead nibblers in Call of Duty: World At War in an episode of Conversations With Creators.
“I probably shouldn’t even be here as a studio head because I let this thing happen at a time when development was strained and the team was in a difficult place trying to release a historically authentic cinematic World War II game,” Lamia said.
And then you hear, ‘Have you heard? They threw a zombie in there! It’s a Nazi zombie! Everyone likes to kill Nazi zombies, it’s a fun new game co-op mode!’ And I’m like, ‘This hasn’t been greenlit, what’s going on?’
The zombies mode came from the dreaded crunch period of game development, resulting in the team only having to recycle certain assets in order to create the mode. For example, the signature zombie shuffle was the result of using the motion capture performance of actors portraying injured soldiers being applied to the walking dead.
Word eventually got around the office of this mode being developed, and staff members stepped in and volunteered to help make it a more complete experience. “It was total grassroots,” Lamia said.
The big challenge however, was the fact that the mode was rather silly in comparison to the grim and gritty World War Two experience that was being marketed at the time. “We made this deal with Activision … that it wouldn’t get marketed. We wouldn’t market this,” Lamia said.
[I said] ‘It’s okay. Let us release it as an Easter Egg. After everyone’s already experienced the artfully-crafted, beautiful Call of Duty that we’ve been working on for years, let them experience that game. After the credits roll, this’ll surprise at the end.
Call of Duty Zombies is now a major part of the franchise. One that has some big name Hollywood talent attached to the product, lending their voices and likenesses to the mode. I call dibs on playing as Ron Perlman in the Zombies mode this year. WHERE IS MY GODDAMN SHOE?!
Last Updated: July 22, 2015
Dutch Matrix
July 22, 2015 at 07:56
Ron Perlman? Only if they give him his Beast skin from Beauty and the Beast. Oh. And Linda Hamilton too. Not give her a beast skin
Admiral Chief in Skellige
July 22, 2015 at 08:02
WHY ARE THE EYES YELLOW???????
Dutch Matrix
July 22, 2015 at 08:09
To see you better in the dark with…
How was the Pap en Wors?
Hammersteyn
July 22, 2015 at 09:37
Yellow?
Hammersteyn
July 22, 2015 at 08:12
Headshots?
Hammersteyn
July 22, 2015 at 08:12
Headshots?
Hammersteyn
July 22, 2015 at 08:12
Read it as Call of Duty almost never made it to a franchise…. One can dream
Dutch Matrix
July 22, 2015 at 08:13
Nah come on man! Call of Duty for all its flack is kind of what made gaming cool. As far as Popcorn shooters go, they are some of the best out there!
Ir0nseraph
July 22, 2015 at 08:33
It started off as one off the best, but with the yearly release they over did it.
The Sten
July 22, 2015 at 08:34
And World at WAR was IMHO the last of the good single player campaign in the franchise.
Hammersteyn
July 22, 2015 at 09:37
Agreed
Hammersteyn
July 22, 2015 at 08:40
They are, if you like you single player to be shorter than The Order
Ir0nseraph
July 22, 2015 at 09:17
You are just upset like me that the new fridge can’t hold 12 cold bottles of beers so it’s pointless 😛
Hammersteyn
July 22, 2015 at 09:31
Sheeeeet and they want R2500 for it?
Fnuik
July 22, 2015 at 09:17
I actually find COD games to be the perfect length. I get so little time to play games that I like that I can play an hour a day and finish the game within a week. Anything more than that I get bored and almost never finish the game.
Hammersteyn
July 22, 2015 at 09:33
Wolfenstein had a nice meaty campaign. Borderlands also gives me my moneys worth. COD is more PVP centered anyways and that’s not something I find relaxing at the end of a long day.
Marek D
July 22, 2015 at 08:52
Hi guys, i dont comment at all but this is amazing… this story was originally reported back in Feb 2015 by all the major gaming news outlets and lazygamer only picks it up now? this is pretty sad.
Jonah Cash
July 22, 2015 at 08:55
Glad you got the courage to comment once to insult them and chastise them. Well done, you win the internet for the day!!
Marek D
July 22, 2015 at 08:57
And you win the dumbass of the year award…where is the insult???
Jonah Cash
July 22, 2015 at 10:37
Oh I am sorry, to come and chastise them then.
Comment more, and then when you see shit like this name and shame. But don’t come on once to say that something is sad, stay, have a cup of coffee with us and then bash them when they do stupid things…
The Sten
July 22, 2015 at 09:14
You must be fun at parties
Marek D
July 22, 2015 at 09:53
yes i am arent you?
Fnuik
July 22, 2015 at 09:14
Seeing as new COD games are nothing more than recycled game parts I find it fitting that they recycle old news then.
Hammersteyn
July 22, 2015 at 09:38
I don’t read other gaming websites, Gavin said he’ll break my legs if I do.
Marek D
July 22, 2015 at 09:53
haha