Modern Warfare 3 launched with an abundance of content for players to digest from Warzone to the Campaign and Multiplayer to Zombies. There was something for everyone to enjoy, but not all things are equal as Warzone and Multiplayer receive constant streams of content updates, but Modern Warfare Zombies is neglected.
It’s confusing because Activision calls Modern Warfare 3 Zombies the most engaging third mode in MW history. Therefore, players complain about lack of updates.
Since its release, Modern Warfare Zombies has received a handful of content updates that have changed very little about the core gameplay experience. There are a few story missions and secrets here and there, but no major additions that compete with Warzone’s new modes, maps, and changes.
It gets worse when you realize that Activision has consistently neglected the Zombies mode with lackluster content updates that add a single story mission or completely ignore it for the entire season. The only things to do in the open-world experience are to hunt Warlords or tackle story missions. The Season 4 content blog just dropped, and only one content is planned for the entire season.
Fans are not happy
The mood on Reddit is heated, with players shaking their heads at Activision for their lack of concern with the Zombies mode. User Riot_Shielder jumped into the conversation with a beautician: “Because ‘most engaging third mode IN MW HISTORY’ means j****** when all MW games had before that was the s***** Spec Ops mode that 99 % of the player base didn’t even bother to try.” Their words are right on the mark; Call of Duty games rarely include a third game mode (not including the Campaign), so this award is not significant.
User Mr_Rafi had his take on the matter, saying, “Most attractive third mode. Take away the camo grind, weapon leveling and challenge unlocks and this wouldn’t be true. The game itself doesn’t draw most people; they’re just grinding their unlocks for Warzone.” Their point is hard to deny when I’m guilty of playing MWZ for weapon cams or challenges; the game mode is just devoid of interesting content.
Traditional Zombies are at home
The saddest realization is that we got this version of zombies instead of the traditional turn based survival mode that has been tried and true for decades. Traditional zombies were designed to beat you up and keep you coming back for more. It was a slow learning curve that you eventually mastered as you progressed to higher circles; surviving to round 10 was your first task, and then it was about learning how to manage the unstoppable hordes deep into the 30s or 40s.
I have countless memories of surviving the zombie horde while trapped in a dugout or theater with a bunch of friends; I remember running zombies around large open spaces as we paced our ammo and unlocked the Pack-A-Punch machine to get some extra firepower. Even to this day, the zombies of OG Black Ops and even the world maps of War still hold up and can offer countless hours of fun.
On the contrary, MWZ does not offer significant progression and only appears as a DMZ zombie reskin. If Infinity Ward spent its time perfecting its zombie formula (without copying Treyarch’s homework), it might surprise the player base. Unfortunately, we got a regime that just doesn’t have the same longevity.
It’s hard to say whether or not MWZ will survive the migration to Black Ops 6 (especially if BO6 returns to that traditional experience), but if Activision doesn’t start loading the content train soon, players will abandon the game mode entirely.
That’s all we have of the community’s reaction to the Zombie’s award. If you’re looking for similar Call of Duty content, check out Warzone’s Urzikstan, reportedly didn’t get ranked mode and players aren’t happy, CoD campaigns aren’t what they used to be and new players are lacking, and more on Pro. Game guides.
