No Zombies in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered
As a hardcore COD fan, the first question I had when the Modern Warfare remaster was announced was – will it have zombies?? After all, the undead horde mode has become a staple in recent COD titles.
Unfortunately, after extensive playtesting, I can confirm Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered does NOT include zombies or any other co-op modes besides online multiplayer.
Why No Zombies?
According to Infinity Ward‘s Studio Art Director, Joel Emslie, a zombies mode "wouldn‘t fit" with the realistic tone of the Modern Warfare series.
"We don‘t have the flexibility to do something like put zombies in the game. That would compromise the feeling of playing in a world that feels realistic and authentic and relative to today‘s conflicts."
While I understand the desire for authenticity, I think fans would welcome a small, self-contained zombies mode. The original Modern Warfare paved the way for future COD titles – who‘s to say a few chaotic undead wouldn‘t liven things up?
What‘s Included Instead?
The Remastered edition focuses solely on enhancing the core experience of the 2007 original:
- Fully rebuilt campaign with HD visuals
- Multiplayer with 10+ new maps
- Additional achievements, cheats, and content
| Original MW | Remastered |
|---|---|
| HDD-quality textures | 4K textures |
| Low polygon models | High-poly models |
| Pre-rendered cutscenes | Realtime cutscenes |
They‘ve done an undeniably fantastic job updating the visuals. Locations like Crew Expendable‘s cargo ship and All Ghillied Up‘s abandoned city are barely recognizable.
As you can see in the graphics comparison below, the remaster goes leaps and bounds beyond the 2007 visuals to compete with any modern AAA shooter.
[COD Modern Warfare Original vs Remastered Graphics]So while zombies may be missing, the game we do get is nothing short of incredible from a presentation standpoint.
What About The Future?
Personally, I believe zombies could work well as a Special Ops mode for future Modern Warfare titles. Segment it off into its own self-contained side story. 2018‘s Black Ops 4 demonstrated players are hungry for ever-more zombies content.
I‘d love to defend a remote safehouse from the undead horde in MW2‘s photorealistic engine. Add some voice logs telling the zombie virus‘ origin story. It practically writes itself!
For now though, fans of the undead will need to look to Treyarch‘s Black Ops series and Sledgehammer‘s games.
Let me know what you think! Should zombies make an appearance in future Modern Warfare titles? How do you feel about Infinity Ward‘s decision to focus purely on campaign and competitive MP?
