Narrative Drop: Zombies Lore for Modern Warfare III

For the first time in Call of Duty® history, Zombies is coming to the Modern Warfare® universe in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III. Developed by Treyarch in collaboration with Sledgehammer Games, Modern Warfare Zombies is a signature cooperative experience that challenges players to team up with other squads to survive and fight massive hordes of the undead in the largest Call of Duty Zombies map ever.

Watch the trailer (below), then read on for a breakdown of what is happening as the chaos unfolds:

The Break-In

The scene opens on a squad of men in military garb about to conduct a nighttime raid on an unknown location. A familiar voice calls in support to distract the local police while the military unit moves up to breach the back door of a hotel building. Inside, they quickly plant an explosive, blasting a hole in the wall to reveal stairs down to their subterranean destination. What they find in that room changes the nature of the threat in an instant.

The Discovery

Four heavily decomposed bodies are seated around a table, desiccated almost beyond all recognition. In the middle of the table sits a strange device which opens to reveal two vials filled with an active substance. One of the assailants grabs one and removes his mask to better inspect it, revealing himself as none other than Viktor Zakhaev, the ultranationalist arms dealer and enemy of Task Force 141. He appears equally surprised and pleased to have found what his team is searching for.

The Incursion

Storing the two vials in a secure container, the squad leaves, only to find that the local security forces have raised the alarm, and the military police have sent in reinforcements. The ensuing firefight is both explosive and bloody, and Zakhaev’s forces are severely outnumbered. As the skirmish continues, all but one of Zakhaev’s men are eliminated. Under fire and in desperate straits, he resorts to throwing one of his vials toward his attackers before retreating into his armored vehicle. The vessel shatters on the ground, and almost instantly, a cloying, purple fog spreads rapidly through the streets, choking out the police forces and rapidly transforming both the living and the fallen into bloodthirsty zombies.

Safe in the confines of their vehicle, Zakhaev and his fellow squadmate witness the transformation firsthand as one of their downed men screams and contorts, his eyes flashing red before attacking the closest survivor. Far from fearful, Zakhaev smiles; this weapon is like no other he could possibly have conceived.

The Aftermath

Following the events on the ground, a helicopter descends onto the area of the outbreak as SSO Kate Laswell and Sergeant Johnny “Soap” MacTavish brief an unseen Operator on the mission at hand, codenamed Operation Deadbolt. Accompanying the team is Captain Sergei Ravenov, an Operator and mission specialist with experience in this kind of incursion. Leading them on the ground is one SSO Greene. The group has intel that Zakhaev was planning something a few months ago, but aren’t sure exactly what that was…

They’re about to find out.

Exploring the Lore

“Until we know what’s going on, containment is the name of the game. No one gets in and nothing, I mean nothing, gets out.” — Soap

Terminus Outcomes

In this iteration of Zombies, there are enemies both undead and alive. The threat from the living arrives in the form of Terminus Outcomes, a private military company hired by Zakhaev as muscle. Led by one Jack Fletcher — the surviving soldier alongside Zakhaev at the end of the trailer — the PMC makes no judgment on their clients’ motives or ethics. If the money is good, the job is on.

Veterans of the Dark Aether Zombies narrative will recognize the substance contained in the vials: Aetherium, now in a highly enriched state derived from processing vast amounts of the harvested crystalline form.

Operation Deadbolt

An emergency contingency plan put into action by the CIA, Operation Deadbolt was created in the aftermath of the outbreak events witnessed by Requiem operatives during the events of the Cold War.

SSO Laswell is given the job of prepping the plan, placing SSO Selma Greene on the ground as the de facto commander of the operation. When the team arrives at the Exclusion Zone alongside Soap and Ravenov, a few weeks have elapsed since the events shown in the first part of the trailer.

As a member of the team, your Operator joins other multi-national Operators to counter the threat posed by the Exclusion Zone, all running under the basic tenants of Operation Deadbolt: “Nothing gets in, nothing gets out.”

Modern Warfare: Zombies: Available at Launch

Prepare to face off against a greater quantity of undead than ever before as the members of Operation Deadbolt embark on difficult and multi-stage tasks as Soap and company attempt to stop Zakhaev and Terminus from plundering more resources, all while attempting to contain the current threat before it spreads out of control.

Combining the very best of Modern Warfare map features and systems with the tried-and-true core features of Treyarch Zombies, Modern Warfare Zombies presents an all-new twist on the fan-favorite third game mode, launching alongside the Campaign and Multiplayer when Modern Warfare III releases.

Get ready to contain the incursion across different regions that escalate in difficulty, with core Zombies features and a cavalcade of secrets to discover. Ready up for an open-world, player-versus-environment (PvE) extraction survival experience shared with other squads, along with a number of special story missions. Expect to face a variety of unique elements, challenges, as well as cinematics to reinforce the major story developments. Take on the hordes of undead this fall on November 10, 2023. 

Preorder MWIII, Instantly Unlock Zombie Ghost (*)

In addition to all of the benefits you can receive for preordering Modern Warfare III detailed in this blog post, there’s a new preorder benefit you can claim: Soon you can instantly unlock the “Zombie Ghost” Operator Skin by pre-ordering or pre-purchasing any Digital edition of Modern Warfare III (either Standard/Cross-Gen, or Vault Edition).

• If you preorder before the start of Modern Warfare II Season 06, Zombie Ghost will be available for you to use on September 27.
• If you preorder after September 27, Zombie Ghost will be available for you to use immediately.
• The Zombie Ghost Operator Skin can be used in Modern Warfare II and Call of Duty: WarzoneTM, and will carry forward, meaning it will also be available in Modern Warfare III, starting at game launch.

Nothing gets in, nothing gets out.

(*) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II/ Call of Duty: Warzone on pre-order platform required to redeem. Sold/downloaded separately. Must be redeemed by November 10, 2024. For illustrative purposes, final operator subject to change.

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