• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Gameranx

Gameranx

Video Game News, Lists & Guides

  • News
  • Features
  • Platforms
    • Xbox Series X
    • PS5
    • Nintendo
  • Videos
  • Upcoming Games
  • Guides

Call of Duty Black Ops 3 Dev Treyarch Reveals History Of Zombies Mode

July 22, 2015 by Ryan Parreno

The fans were always a pivotal part of the mode’s success, but it almost didn’t get published.

Ever wondered how Call of Duty’s Zombies even became a thing? Treyarch revealed in a new Call of Duty Black Ops 3 interview that it boils down to https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMUP9j-QidC_S0KLlO06uCgthe fans. This video comes to us courtesy of MrDalekJD, whom you can subscribe to on YouTube here.

Of course, way back in Call of Duty World At War, the Nazi Zombies mode was not something the fans asked for. However, it was something that came from Treyarch’s own developers organically, as they were designing the game’s original, gritty, realistic wartime portrayal in the main campaign.

It was when they were laying out Ellis Island, that one of the designers decided that the level would be much more fun if you were fighting not just regular Nazis, but Nazi zombies. This was a small internal thing the devs were doing for kicks, but before anyone knew it, things got out of hand. Treyarch ended up making a full story campaign for Zombies alongside the more sobering story campaign for World At War.

The story, of course, was not planned from the start either. There was certainly no planned storyline from the onset, as the mode was built around the gameplay instead.

Treyarch realized not everyone was crazy with the idea of adding a zombies mode to what was then a serious military campaign series. And so, they made an usual pitch to Activision.

They promised zombies would have zero marketing, and instead, were treating it as an Easter egg for the fans to find. The fans went on to not only love and clamor zombies, but also fill in story gaps on their own. Treyarch would pick up on their community’s tropes and theories and weave them into the now seven year long storyline.

Call of Duty Black Ops 3 will be released on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on November 6, 2015.

Share this post:

FacebookTwitterLinkedInPinterest

Recent Videos

10 Gaming Ideas They Thought Were Good...BUT NO

10 Gaming Ideas They Thought Were Good...BUT NO

10 DLCs That BROKE THE GAME

10 DLCs That BROKE THE GAME

NEW Post-Apocalyptic Game Looks Insane, Another GTA 6 DELAY? & More

NEW Post-Apocalyptic Game Looks Insane, Another GTA 6 DELAY? & More

Top 20 NEW PS5 Games of 2026

Top 20 NEW PS5 Games of 2026

10 Video Game Things That DIED in 2025

10 Video Game Things That DIED in 2025

20 Game REMAKES That We Are LOOKING FORWARD TO

20 Game REMAKES That We Are LOOKING FORWARD TO

10 Side Quests BETTER Than The Main Story

10 Side Quests BETTER Than The Main Story

Evolution of Bosses in Video Games

Evolution of Bosses in Video Games

10 Upcoming Games We Don't Quite UNDERSTAND

10 Upcoming Games We Don't Quite UNDERSTAND

Category: Updates

Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Nintendo Expanding Switch 2’s Library Beyond Their “Popular Series Titles” To 3rd Parties And New Nintendo IP
  • ESRB Has Rated Super Mario Bros. Wonder Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup In Bellabel Park
  • Ubisoft Brings The Division Definitive Edition Billboard To Japan Event – But Nothing’s Announced Yet
  • Nintendo’s Switch / Switch 2 Memory Supplies Are Secured, But They Are Monitoring Price Increases Closely
  • GTA Online Offers A Free In-Game Car Wash Business – But Time’s Running Out

Copyright © 2026 · Gameranx · All Rights Reserved · Powered by Mai Theme