Summary
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3Zombies has done incredibly well for Treyarch and Activision, which could turn out to be a double-edged sword. On one hand, attracting a more casual audience via a mode that is more likeWarzoneandDMZis a good thing, as a larger player count for Zombies makes it easier to justify more resources being devoted to it. However, while open-world Zombies modes could be a great way to kill time between full Treyarch releases that offer survival maps, fans are understandably concerned that the wrong lesson could be learned and round-based content could be fully phased out in favor of content likeMW3Zombies.
While this fear may be a bit extreme, there is no telling what will happen afterCall of Duty2024, which is set to feature two round-based maps on day one based on recent Zombies leaks. Even if round-based Zombies thrives for years to come like it deserves to, there is a chance that Treyarch could move further away from the complex main quest Easter eggs of old, with the new mission approach fromCall of Duty:Modern Warfare 3Zombies becoming the norm. Though this would be devastating for Easter egg hunters who love trying to solve puzzles on day one and thrive on working with theCoDZombies community, there are a few reasons why this change would not be surprising.
Why Call of Duty Zombies Could Abandon Easter Egg Quests For Missions
Missions Allow More Call of Duty Zombies Players to Engage With The Story
In recent years, Treyarch has been more open with the community about discussingCall of DutyZombies and its development process, with the days ofBlack Ops 3and its many mysteries being left in the past. As an example of this, Zombies lead Kevin Drew mentioned that theEaster egg quests ofBlack Ops Cold Warwere made easier deliberately so that more players would experience them. While many players were disappointed in the brief Easter egg hunts and the simple tasks, Treyarch’s statistics showed that few Zombies players were actually doing the main quests themselves prior toBlack Ops Cold War, finding them to be too hard and instead just looking up the cutscenes online.
Though it is unclear if Treyarch’s experiment with easier Easter eggs paid off, its use of DMZ-stylemissions in MWZmight. These tasks are very clear and easy to track for players, and though it takes dozens of hours to finish them all, players of all skill levels will likely be able to clear the full lineup of missions. At the end of each act, a properCall of Dutycampaign-like level plays out that is capped off with a cinematic, guaranteeing that gamers are seeing the story moments Treyarch wants them too and that the studio’s work is not being wasted. They could still use some refinement to truly shine, but the finale missions' scripted moments and the use of NPCs give players something like theCall of DutyZombies campaign they always asked for. Perhaps each Survival map could launch with a linear co-op mission instead of a main quest going forward.
Alternatively, Treyarch could introduce even easier Easter eggs thanBlack Ops Cold War,taking notes from Sledgehammer Games’ guided quests. InCall of Duty WW2Zombies, there were two versions of the same main quest, with one essentially being the traditional complex version and another being easier since it told players what to do.
Call of Duty Zombies is Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Ultimately, Treyarch is going to have a difficult choice to make. The benefits of missions over complex Easter egg quests are obvious, as they are likely easier to develop, meaning time can be spent elsewhere, while also guaranteeing that all players see the story. However, retiring main quests would guarantee more outrage fromold school Zombies players, as there is a significant part of the player base that loves doing Easter eggs more than anything else. While it is true that classic maps like Der Riese and Kino Der Toten thrived without quests, today many players find them bland and overly simple, and it is hard to justify taking away quests after players have had them for over a decade. Perhaps Treyarch can find a middle ground where it offers an easy mission-like variant of every main quest, giving fans the best of both worlds.
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023)
WHERE TO PLAY
The war has changed. Call of Duty returns with an all-new campaign, modernized versions of classic Multiplayer maps and an open-world PvE Zombies experience. The campaign, a direct sequel to the record-breaking Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, sees Captain Price and Task Force 141 face off against ultranationalist war criminal Vladimir Makarov as he extends his grasp across the world. In Multiplayer, the 16 maps that launched with Modern Warfare 2 in 2009 return with upgraded graphics, new modes and innovative gameplay features. In Modern Warfare Zombies, team up with other squads for the first time ever as you work together to survive in the largest Zombies map yet
