14 DAY TRIAL // The very first iteration in the Call of Duty Zombies saga was almost canceled as Call of Duty: World at War developer Treyarch had to focus on the actual game instead of making the surprise cooperative mode.
The Call of Duty franchise has been around for many years and publisher Activision has gotten a lot of different studios to work on the major series, from the original creators at Infinity Ward to Treyarch, Sledgehammer Games, and other, smaller teams.
In recent years, besides bringing forth new experiences with complex story campaigns and innovative multiplayer modes, almost all entries have had a cooperative mode that featured Zombies as the preferred enemies.
The initial Zombies mode was almost canceled
After Advanced Warfare got its Exo Zombies mode last month, Treyarch boss Mark Lamia talked at the DICE Summit, via GamesIndustry, about the initial story behind the Zombies mode in Call of Duty: World at War.
According to the executive, the cooperative experience was made by a team of his employees in their time off, despite the fact that they were already working hard to complete the game's single-player and multiplayer campaigns.
The atmosphere at the studio wasn't all that great, Lamia admits, as World at War was the first proper Call of Duty game from Treyarch, and the fact that employees weren't focusing just on the game meant that a decision had to be taken.
However, instead of canceling the project just as he was pressured by other leaders and from people at Activision, Lamia decided to see if it deserved the resources and found a very fun experience.
"Some people in the franchise leadership were totally opposed to zombies and a zombies mode, and they thought it would be a disgrace to the franchise. Call Of Duty Zombies shouldn't exist. We made the right choice to follow the fun, follow the passion and bet on a dedicated team," he says.
Considering the importance and popularity of the Zombies mode, the bet was certainly a winning one.