A listing for something called Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 – Zombies Chronicles appeared a couple of weeks ago on the ESRB website, but only very briefly before being removed. Despite the implied insistence that nobody saw nothin', it was a surprise to approximately no one when Activision confirmed earlier this week that the listing was legit. And now we've got a trailer so we can all what the fuss is about.
The answer is very much as expected: Four grizzled Second World War soldiers blowing the holy kapowzers out of endless hordes of the undead across "eight of the most beloved Zombies maps from previous Treyarch-developed Call of Duty games." The maps have been "completely remastered from the ground up" with updated graphics and enhanced lighting, improved audio, and better AI. Here's what we're getting:
- From Call of Duty: World at War: Nacht der Untoten (Abandoned Bunker), Verruckt (Wittenau Sanitorium) and Shi No Numa (Jungle Swamp)
- From Call of Duty: Black Ops: Kino Der Toten (Theater of the Dead), Ascension (Soviet Cosmodrome), Shangri-la (Exotic Jungle Shrine) and Moon (Lunar Base)
- From Call of Duty: Black Ops II: Origins (WWI France)
"Zombies Chronicles is really about the community that made Zombies what it has become today," Treyarch studio co-head Jason Blundell said. "Together, we've been slaying the undead for nearly ten years, across different game consoles, and Zombies Chronicles is really about bringing all of those fans together. If you played these maps before on previous consoles, you're getting a new, stunning and challenging experience—if it's your first time, this is eight definitive experiences of our Zombies storyline, all in one place."
As with previous Black Ops 3 DLC, Zombies Chronicles will be released first for the PlayStation 4 on May 16, and will sell for $30. A PC release date hasn't been confirmed, but based on precedent it should arrive about a month later.
