Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War developer Treyarch has discussed plenty of features that are coming to the game’s Zombies mode, with many fan-requested improvements on the way to the game. From cross-play and cross-gen Zombies support to free maps and battle pass rewards, Treyarch has clearly listened to many fan complaints from the previous version of the mode. With even an FOV slider and ping system coming to the game, all bases seem to be covered and the groundwork seems to be laid for a solid year of Call of Duty Zombies content.
However, through all the fan-requested changes, one common player complaint from the Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Zombies experience has seemingly gone on deaf ears. A large majority of Zombies players were disappointed to see that every map set in the Aether story during Black Ops 4’s content season was a remake of an older map, with the ten-year-old story’s grand conclusion not seeing any fresh content apart from some additions to the old maps. It seems like Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and its new Dark Aether story are off to a similar, worrying start, as the game’s first Zombies map is built off an older Treyarch creation just like the Aether releases of Black Ops 4.
There is no denying that Call of Duty fans enjoy remakes. Virtually every modern CoD game includes re-releases of classic maps, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered performed incredibly well when it released a few years back. Call of Duty Mobile has been incredibly successful through its additions of popular CoD content, and fans have even started to remake Modern Warfare 2’s multiplayer through a Black Ops 3 mod on PC. However, while the love is clearly there, sometimes there is just too much of a good thing.
While Die Maschine is a mostly original creation, it does prominently feature a remake of Nacht Der Untoten in its design as well. The original Call of Duty: Zombies map, while it is iconic, has already been remastered four times before Die Maschine was announced. Every Treyarch CoD apart from Black Ops 4 has seen the map remade, and Black Ops Cold War is no different. This immediately begs the question of just how much more fans can play and enjoy Nacht, as Treyarch can only do so much to evolve the cramped and dated map.
This is not to say that all remakes are a bad idea. After all, maps like TranZit would be perfect candidates for a remake given that the original vision for the map could not be delivered upon when it was released. With the power of next-gen consoles, TranZit could finally reach its full potential and become the great map that Treyarch always wanted it to be. However, not every map needs a remake, especially if they have already been recreated once, twice, or four times before. More importantly, they should not be recreated if they come at the cost of completely original content.
With Call of Duty: Black Ops 3’s Zombies Chronicles content joining the PS Plus Collection on PS5, and being backward compatible via Xbox Series X, fans have access to remakes of classic maps like Nacht Der Untoten whenever they want them. Due to this, reimaginings of most Zombies maps not only seems unnecessary but a waste of the limited number of maps Zombies fans get in a given season. Most players on Black Ops 4 wanted to see completely original maps following Blood of the Dead at launch, but instead received expanded versions of Nuketown and Call of the Dead to close out the Aether portion of the DLC season.
It seems like Black Ops Cold War is following that same pattern despite the negative feedback, a move that could certainly lead to disappointment among some fans of the mode. With a leaked DLC map supposedly including Kino Der Toten, this pattern may continue throughout the life cycle of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. For the fans who have played hundreds of hours of Zombies content in the past and achieved all there is to do on the older maps, it is easy to see why further remasters seem unappealing.
The other major issue with nostalgia-based reimaginings is that they have no effect on new players. Fans playing Call of Duty Zombies for the first time in Black Ops Cold War will not care about the dilapidated bunker on Die Maschine, as they will only see it as a worn-down building as opposed to an iconic location from the Zombies storyline. New players will be far more focused on learning mechanics like the mystery box, leaving only long-time fans who are tiring of remasters to appreciate the Nacht appearance. With dedicated fans tiring of Zombies remasters and the returning locations having no impact on newcomers, maps like Nacht Der Untoten being incorporated purely seems like a decision to save on resources.
Nostalgia is not inherently bad, and if it is used sparingly, it can certainly be a good thing. Fans were thrilled to see the return of Samantha Maxis in the Zombies reveal trailer for Black Ops Cold War, and other characters possibly making a return could be a good thing. Zombies Chronicles for Black Ops 3 remains one of the best-selling pieces of DLC content of all time, and that expansion is made up entirely of remastered content. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s map problem was not that it included remakes, but rather that it included too many remakes.
With dedicated Zombies fans buying a “Remaster Die Rise” billboard, there is undoubtedly still interest in some more proper remakes. Like TranZit and Buried, however, Die Rise has not been remade in the past, explaining the hype behind a potential update of the map. Plus, if it does not come at the cost of fully original content, even the most burnt out CoD Zombies fan could get on board with the remaster. This makes it clear that there is certainly a balance for Treyarch to find with their next version of Call of Duty Zombies, and the mode can deliver on both nostalgia and originality if it successfully finds it.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Zombies already has one reimagining coming at launch, with another having leaked but still being unconfirmed. If this continues throughout every post-launch season of Black Ops Cold War, fans will undoubtedly be disappointed in Treyarch for repeating its Black Ops 4 mistake. The studio can still right the ship, however, and provide fans with both fully original content as well as some proper remakes.
Releasing DLC maps that feel completely new and do not feature pieces of old Zombies content is a wise decision, with further potential for a Zombies Chronicles 2 to bring remakes of the maps that have not yet been reimagined certainly exists. Maps are one of the most crucial aspects of any Zombies experience, and the success of Black Ops Cold War Zombies could very well depend on Treyarch adjusting their nostalgia-heavy approach before it gets out if hand once again.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will be available November 12 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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