Call of Duty Zombies almost got a dedicated game; see details

On the battlefields of the universe Call of Dutythe way Zombies stands out as one of the most fun cooperative experiences in the franchise. Apparently, there was a large standalone project in progress about 10 years ago — which, unfortunately, was shelved and ended up never seeing the light of day.

Even long after its supposed cancellation, the project came to light in early 2024, when Michael Gummelt, former developer at Raven Software, revealed on LinkedIn that 10 years ago he had worked on a standalone game dedicated to the mode Zombies — which would be entirely focused on the live service model.

According to information, the game was in active development between the releases of the Call of Duty: Moder Warfare 3 original from 2011 and the Call of Duty: Black Ops II of 2012.

Gummelt, who has since moved to ZeniMax Studios, said on LinkedIn that he was “lead designer of an ambitious new live service project for Call of Duty: Zombiescanceled when the ATVI studio that ‘owned’ that part of the IP CoD I wanted him back.”

Canceled Call of Duty game

A few months after the standalone project Call of Duty: Zombies surface on LinkedIn, Gummelt accepted an interview request from the YouTuber Glitching Queena well-known content creator in the franchise community.

According to Gummelt, the shelved game was in development between 2011 and 2012, but never actually went into production at Raven Software — it didn’t even make it past the design document process.

However, one thing was clear: the project, which would receive constant updates, would be focused on live service, with microtransactions and customization features based on the franchise’s online model. Call of Duty — although it was not a direct version of the mode Zombies original.

What would a canceled Call of Duty game be like?

Gummelt recalls that the first ideas for the standalone project Call of Duty: Zombies was to transform players into gladiators and place them in arenas “in the best style Mad Max” to fight the zombies. After that, it would be possible to explore a vast “world” map to fight the monsters and acquire various rewards.

Call of Duty’s Zombies Mode almost had a standalone game focused on live service, but the project was shelved 10 years ago.Fonte:  Call of Duty

The shelved title would also have support for up to four players in online multiplayer, a season system with new content and various customization and progression features.

Gummelt states that, initially, the project was under the responsibility of Treyarch, but ended up going into the hands of Raven Software. After the first concepts, apparently, Treyarch wanted the game back.

He was also asked by the YouTuber if there were other stadandalone games in the mode Zombies in production — and the answer is not so encouraging: “not that I know of.”

It is worth remembering that in 2011 and 2012 Call of Duty was very high, with the mode Zombies of Black Ops II being the preference among players in the shooter community. Did you experience this golden age of the franchise?

Have you ever imagined what it would have been like if the shelved project had seen the light of day? Comment on social media Voxel!