Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 has been around for quite awhile now: We reviewed it in November 2015, finding it to be a decent but unremarkable CoD experience. But despite the CoD series moving on to Infinite Warfare last year, and all the noise now being made about the upcoming return to WWII, it seems that Activision and Treyarch aren't quite done with Blops 3 yet. An ESRB listing noticed by (and posted on) the CoD Zombies subreddit has revealed something entitled Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Zombies Chronicles, although what exactly it is, is not perfectly clear.
The listing has since been removed from the ESRB site, but a cached version remains viewable via Google. The description itself is identical to that of the base game:
"This is a first-person shooter in which players assume the role of a futuristic military unit attempting to thwart the plans of a cartel. Players use machine guns, pistols, shotguns, grenade launchers, and various 'cybercore' abilities (e.g., drone control, confusion for human enemies) to kill robots and soldiers amid futuristic urban environments. Action is frenetic, with frequent gunfire, explosions, cries of pain, and blood-splatter effects. Some attacks allow players to blow up enemies or blow off their arms or legs. A handful of cutscenes depict figures being beaten, tortured, or stabbed; some stabbings are depicted fairly close up. During the course of the game, players can select emblems from a menu screen for character/team customization; a few emblems are suggestive of marijuana. The words 'f**k' and 'sh*t' appear in the dialogue."
Rumors about Zombies Chronicles have surfaced previously. Last month, via Charlie Intel, Mexican and Polish retailers also both posted listings, describing it as having "the original contents of Black Ops 3 and the content of Zombie Chronicles, includes 8 classic maps of Treyarch Zombies remastered and all the maps include the Gobblegum function." What's interesting about the ESRB listing, aside from the effective confirmation of the game, is that it points toward an entirely separate, standalone release—a way to bring in new players, rather than simply throwing a bone to the existing base.
I've emailed Activision to ask about the listing, and on the off-chance someone gets back to me, I'll let you know.
