Activision has revealed the first cinematic trailer for the upcoming zombie mode accompanying Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, and it’s nothing short of breathtaking. This marks the debut of the zombies mode within the Modern Warfare universe, which is typically reserved for Treyarch’s Black Ops series.
As per the official Call of Duty blog post, this mode introduces an expansive open-world PVE setting where multiple squads band together to combat swarming zombie hordes. It is shaping up to be a fusion of Cold War’s Outbreak mode and the DMZ mode from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II. It combines an extraction-shooter experience with a thrilling zombie twist.
The trailer reveals the origin of the new outbreak within the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III universe which is caused by Viktor Zakhaev, a notorious villain in the Call of Duty universe. Zakhaev initiates the outbreak by deploying a mysterious substance inside a vial, reminiscent of Aetherium, known to Cold War veterans.
The trailer also showcases some familiar but lifeless faces. Zakhaev enters a basement and discovers two vials, both containing Aetherium. Amidst four lifeless bodies around the table, one stands out – a corpse resembling Grigori Weaver from Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.
While not explicitly stated, we can assume that the other three deceased individuals are Requiem members: Mackenzie Carver, Dr. Elizabeth Grey, and Dr. Oskar Strauss. All of which have been actively involved in all the operations of Cold War zombies.
Zakhaev, attempting to flee the cops with his mercenaries, deploys one of the vials, triggering a transformation of the deceased and the undead into zombies, resulting in chaos.
Several weeks later, a helicopter transports us to the outbreak zone, with Kate Laswell, Soap, and, surprisingly, Sergei Ravenov accompanying us. For those of you new here, Sergei Ravenov is one of the key characters in the Cold War zombies storyline, and he actually became good friends with Samantha Maxis. Ravenov is introduced by Laswell as someone experienced in handling such “incursions.”
And that is where the trailer ends. It’s fascinating to witness canon characters from the Modern Warfare universe collaborating with the main characters from the Black Ops franchise in the same game, battling zombies together.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III is set to launch globally on November 10, 2024, across PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows platforms. Pre-orders are currently open.
While this year’s zombies mode brings back the Outbreak mode from Cold War zombies with a fresh take, it is not bad news as Zombies mode isn’t a staple of the Modern Warfare series, making it an interesting addition. Fans eagerly anticipating the return to traditional round-based zombie gameplay can look forward to Treyarch’s 2024 Black Ops installment.
