A clearer picture is starting to form over what plansCall of Duty: Black Ops 6has in store for its fifth in-game season, with big changes being expected to come across multiplayer, Zombies, andWarzone. While it seems likely that six total in-game seasons will come toBlack Ops 6before the launch of its successor, Season 5 has some immense implications for Zombies in particular.
Season 5 ofCall of Duty: Black Ops 6will see the release of the title’s sixth and final major Zombies map. While the details of this map have been known for some time, Treyarch is still building hype around the upcoming addition with some interesting cinematic teasers. These teasers paint a picture of Janus Towers, the primary location of the map, from the perspective of highly atmospheric found footage with campaign-like cinematic qualities. This begs the question of what a more linearCall of DutyZombies campaign experience might have looked like, with it seeming a real missed opportunity that something like this has never surfaced over the years.
Black Ops 6’s Season 5 Teaser Shows How Good a Zombies Story Experience Could Be
Janus Towers is set to be the next andfinal major Zombies map forBlack Ops 6, with the location having some immense narrative importance. It seems nailed-on that the map will see a momentous showdown between Richtofen and S.A.M, potentially acting as a major culmination of the current Zombies storyline. While there is a lot of pressure as well as things to look forward to regarding Janus Towers, the format of the map’s teaser begs another question.
WhileCall of Duty’s Zombies mode built its popularityon its addictive, endless-survival gameplay, overarching and detailed narratives have been at the heart of the mode and its community for quite some time. Of course, pre-existing narratives should still be tied to things like Zombies Easter eggs, but there seems to be room for a kind of campaign-like Zombies experience that exists away from standard gameplay.
The Janus Towers teaser shows a much more cinematic and linear experience than what usual Zombies gameplay portrays, befit with set-pieces that make the map feel much more atmospheric and alive. So muchexperimentation has been done to Zombies in recent years, and while there should always be a focus on survival experiences, a Zombies campaign could be an excellent addition to a futureCoDentry.
Black Ops 6 Gave a Good Example of What a Campaign-Like Zombies Experience Could Be
This campaign does not have to be as lengthy or complex as a majorCall of Dutysingle-player story, but instead could be a brief experience to supplement the Zombies storyline of a givenCoDtitle. The Janus Towers teaser provides a perfect example of this, with the cinematic being from the helmet-cam perspective of a Janus security member responding to the horrifying outbreaks that quickly overran Janus Towers.Black Ops 6itself has already shown the potential of this approach with its own campaign, with its mind-bending and zombified “Emergence” mission being one of its most unique and memorable.
Black Ops 6’s Emergence missioneven featured the likes of Abominations, Manglers, Mimics, and Disciples, being a great example of how linear campaign experiences can be blended with Zombies.
Certain major narrative events for Zombies could be bolstered by brief linear experiences from different perspectives, making the most of the mode’s ties to storytelling while still allowing traditional experiences to breathe. Of course, a more robust campaign-like Zombies experience would be even better, but perhaps less feasible withthe rapid content turnaround ofCall of Dutyas a whole. There is some worry over what Treyarch is going to do to supplement Zombies throughout the last in-game season ofBlack Ops 6, and a brief single-player Zombies experience could have been a great way to bridge the gap. A blend of Zombies and campaign-like qualities seems like a match made in heaven forCall of Duty, and is something that the franchise should not let go to waste.
