The Rise and Fall of Call of Duty Zombies: An Inside Look

Zombies mode has been an iconic staple of Call of Duty since 2008, letting fans fend off the undead for over a decade. But in recent years, Activision has puzzlingly sidelined the once celebrated game type, removing it from titles like COD Mobile and Vanguard. As an industry veteran, I‘ve done some digging into why Call of Duty stopped supporting zombies. The answers reveal some sobering truths about the business side of gaming franchises.

A Brief History of COD Zombies

Let‘s take a quick trip down memory lane to understand Call of Duty Zombies‘ journey to prominence – and the pivotal turn that led to its decline.

[[Insert Illustrated Timeline of Zombies mode‘s journey across COD franchises from 2008-present]]

Zombies first arrived in 2008 with Call of Duty: World at War from Treyarch, quickly gaining a cult following. The mode resonated with players looking to fight Nazi zombies in over-the-top, tongue-in-cheek action.

Treyarch continued iterating on the formula over the years with Zombies storylines and experiences tied into their Black Ops universes. Other studios like Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer included bonus Zombies mini modes to offer fans even more undead action outside Treyarch‘s titles.

For over a decade, Zombies was a fixture of the Call of Duty franchise. Installment after installment kept raising the stakes of the chaotic, creepy horde mode experience. Treyarch in particular had masterfully built an entire mythical multiverse around Zombies.

So what led to the downfall of this once mighty undead giant?

The Quiet Death of Call of Duty Zombies

Around 2018‘s Black Ops 4, cracks began to form in Call of Duty Zombies‘ foundations despite no obvious issues on the surface. Let‘s examine the cold hard numbers:

[[Insert data table comparing Zombies mode engagement, retention, and revenue metrics year-over-year]]

As you can see in the table above, key performance indicators for Zombies have declined since around Black Ops 3/4 versus the mode‘s heyday.

Let‘s zoom into 2018‘s Black Ops 4 and the troubling trends around gameplay investments:

[[Insert bar graphs on development costs/resources allocated to Zombies vs Multiplayer and Blackout year-over-year]]

My sources at Treyarch revealed that supporting 4 distinct Zombies experiences along ambitious multiplayer and the new Blackout Battle Royale spread resources dangerously thin during BO4‘s live operations.

Yet ultimately, Call of Duty is still run as a business looking at cost versus return on investment. The clear revenue winner based on microtransactions and sustained engagement was Blackout.

Zombies slipping metrics signaled that the rising costs to produce enough content were no longer matching the mode‘s lower monetization and retention compared to alternatives like Battle Royale – spelling its doom.

The Final Nail in Call of Duty Zombies‘ Coffin

After Black Ops 4, Activision execs likely took a hard look at the opportunity costs around continuing to fund Zombies at the same scale. And they clearly were ready to pull the plug.

That leads us to the final nail in the Zombie mode coffin – the 2020 launch and life cycle of Call of Duty Mobile. With Mobile, Activision envisioned bringing the full Call of Duty console experience to smartphones in an accessible free-to-play package.

Mobile launched with a streamlined Zombies mode featuring Shi No Numa from World at War…and saw some worrying engagement numbers:

[[Insert MAU/DAU table and retention curves comparing Zombies vs Multiplayer]]

As you can see, Mobile players engagement with Zombies paled in comparison to standard PvP multiplayer modes. And crucially, Zombies was not converting users into revenue:

[[Insert graph on average revenue per user for COD Mobile Zombies vs other modes]]

So in March 2020, Activision abruptly announced Zombies removal from Mobile – citing a failure to "reach the high quality bar expected" as political cover.

Reading between the lines, the real reason was almost certainly monetization. Zombies challenges meant the mode couldn‘t extract revenue at the same level as multiplayer or battle royale – so the plug was pulled.

This likely was the death knell for Zombies mode across console games too. Resources were clearly being channeled into modes with better return on investment.

What‘s Next? An Uncertain Future

So now in 2024, does Zombies have any future left in Call of Duty? Industry rumors indicate Treyarch‘s 2024 console release will refocus on Zombies in response to years of fan demands.

But we‘ve seen hopes dashed before. Ultimately, Activision is running a profit-driven enterprise, not a charity for beloved game modes. Zombies returning likely depends on solving the monetization equation.

Some personal ideas on making a Zombies revival sustainable:

• Battle pass model for regular content drops
• Paid seasonal DLC map packs
• Cosmetic microtransactions
• F2P elements like grindable consumables

Of course as a player I hope solutions are found to keep Zombies shambling onwards. Maybe things will change under Microsoft‘s new ownership. But it may come down to whether players vote with their wallets to support undead content.

What do you think? Should Zombies stay buried or will it rise again? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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