Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, the seventeenth installment of the long-running Call of Duty franchise, launched just over eight months ago. In the time since, the ever-popular Zombies game mode has expanded to include Outbreak, the first-ever open-world Zombies experience. While the new mode type has been largely well-received by players, many fans aren't satisfied with the number of traditional maps available, and are calling for a Zombies Chronicles 2.
For those who may be unaware, Zombies Chronicles is paid DLC for Treyarch's Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, which included eight remastered maps from prior games including World at War and the first two Black Ops entries. The first Zombies Chronicles rebuilt fan-favorite maps like Kino der Toten and Shangri-La in Black Ops 3's engine, something players are now wanting to happen with Black Ops Cold War.
With only three total maps available, and with the announcement of the 2021 Call of Duty title imminent, legions of fans have taken to the official CoD Zombies Reddit page to voice their desire to see the beloved traditional Survival Zombies maps updated with Black Ops Cold War's mechanics and next-gen graphical capabilities. The current game has released only two new classic Zombies maps in the form of Firebase Z and Mauer der Toten post-launch, averaging close to a five month gap in between. Players on the subreddit have stated a Zombies Chronicles 2 would be a "game changer" and a much better alternative to "waiting almost five months for one map for free."
Fans on the page have made their desires loud and clear, and as it turns out, they might actually see those desires fulfilled. Last month, reputable industry leaker Tom Henderson claimed support for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War would continue well after the 2021 Call of Duty launches, although stopped short of what that would look like. Now, another leaker believes the game is set to receive a dozen new maps, more than doubling what most players expected. Should the last couple of seasons follow the same format, three new maps should release during the course of each one, leaving the other reported half unaccounted for.
The theoretical answer to the rumored other maps, of course, could be a Zombies Chronicles 2, or possibly even an entirely standalone Call of Duty Zombies game. Henderson, the same leaker previously mentioned, also doubled-down on claims that a dedicated Call of Duty Zombies game is currently in development. With the storyline of the mode becoming extremely long and convoluted over the years, a standalone title would give Treyarch the ability to concisely tell its story. There's also the possibility of the rumored game having a "greatest hits" approach, incorporating Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer-developed Zombies, or a new adventure altogether.
Regardless of what happens with the mode, Call of Duty Zombies has come a long way since its inception, and has only grown more popular in the years since. It should be very interesting to see what form the undead-slaughtering mode takes on next.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.