More Call of Duty: Warzone Teasers 'Confirm' Zombies Mode
The dead never die in Call of Duty, as it looks like the fan-favourite Warzone is finally going to embrace the potential of zombies. While Activision's long-running shooter franchise has become synonymous with Treyarch titles including Zombies modes, there are accusations the publisher has been slow on the uptake in making the most of one of its most marketable assets. You only have to look at the hype surrounding Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War's Zombies and the recent release of "Firebase Z" to see it's a beloved piece of the furniture.
We were already promised 2021 would overhaul Warzone thanks to the integration of Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare and Treyarch's Cold War, but as Season 2 "shuffles" closer, it looks like it's out with the old and in with the even older. Over the years, Activision has become a master at making the most of viral marketing, and following a rather unconventional tease of Cold War last year, we're back to basics with in-game teasers for the revamped Warzone Season 2.
What are the Warzone zombies teasers?
News of a potential Zombies teaser first started doing the rounds last week when a Zombies Trial Machine appeared in the Verdansk Hospital. There have been various glitches filling players' screens with static, which is exactly how Warzone teased the introduction of Cold War weapons and Operators. The fact the Trial Machine only appeared in Rumble suggested it would have something to do with the mode, however, a second machine has now popped up. Heading to Stadium while in Rumble will reveal another machine. This time though, the "Activate Zombies" message has been replaced by a series of cryptic numbers.
This has been enough to send players into overdrive that Rumble will be swapped out for an open-world Zombies mode called Outbreak. If this is the case, you'll still get your usual (dead-free) version of Warzone, while zombie lovers can jump into an infected version of the map with what used to be Rumble. Rumble was a 50 v 50 deathmatch that took place in a specific section that was cut-off. Only recently, Warzone celebrated all things Valentine's Day by renaming Rumble as Rumble in the Sheets.
Are the Warzone zombies teasers leading to a new mode?
Not that there's anything wrong with Rumble, but it's easy to imagine it being swapped out for the mythical Outbreak. The fact the developers have removed the "Activate Zombies" prompt on the Stadium machine might be because it was a little too on the nose with what's on the way. Famous content creator Nick "NICKMERCS" Kolcheff has also shared his thoughts about what's going on in his latest stream. NICKMERCS reminded us that there are repeated rumours the map will be wiped out by a nuke - giving us a Fortnite Chapter 2-inspired remodelling.
Discussing how zombies and nukes could go hand in hand, NICKMERCS explained, "We've been getting teased with this new map for a long time and there are always conversations about a big nuke hitting the map...well zombies would be a perfect reason to do that. I'm really hoping that's exactly how it boils down". It's a perfectly logical explanation for what's going on, and would also live up to the hype of a whole new locale. NICKMERCS isn't the only one who'd love to see that happen, because to be honest, it sounds like a hell of a way to round off the first iteration of Warzone.
For the time being, we're left scrambling for clues in Rumble and the wider world of Warzone. With Warzone Season 2 due to parachute into our lives on or around February 24, we're closer than ever to finding out what's actually going on. Either way, Infinity Ward, Treyarch, and Activision have left us hungry for more Warzone zombies teasers.
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