CoD Zombies devs assure round-based map fans aren’t being “forgotten” in Vanguard

Treyarch have promised veteran Zombies players they aren’t being forgotten, despite CoD Vanguard ditching the traditional round-based experience at launch in favor of something new with the ‘Der Anfang’ map.

Despite Treyarch continuing development on CoD Zombies through a new annual release, a first for the franchise, Vanguard is set to pivot the undead experience. Rather than providing the familiar round-based mode, Vanguard introduces ‘Der Anfang’ at launch instead.

This new twist on the formula is a more open-ended challenge, blending elements of Outbreak with classic Zombies gameplay. Players will drop in with their own loadouts, complete objectives to open up the map, and find all sorts of upgrades, abilities, and Dark Aether powers along the way.

Given this departure from the standard Zombies offering, devs faced a good amount of backlash following the reveal.

In light of the response, Treyarch has now come forward to not only defend the decision but also assure veteran players aren’t being “forgotten.”

“I think we stripped down the round-based experience,” Associate Director of Design Gavin Locke told Gamespot. “The ever-increasing challenge and choosing how you want to play and unlocking the map, we wanted to incorporate those elements, and then we used the objectives to be the gate.”

Rather than progressing through a map with each round, unlocking barriers with points earned throughout, Der Anfang lets players “expand the hub” by completing objectives. “We put a spin on the mechanics [players] always really liked,” Locke explained.

“If Outbreak is one extreme and RBZ [round-based Zombies] is one, very directed versus very open, we’ve taken the ingredients from both and mashed them together,” Creative Specialist Miles Leslie chimed in.

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It’s this intended merger, giving players “the best of both worlds,” that has Treyarch confident they’re “not forgetting round-based fans. We’re trying to offer a little something new,” he stressed.

Teasing what lies ahead, the devs appear to be keeping experienced players in mind. Future updates will once again add a twist to the formula. 

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“Round-based as you know it, might get worked into some other mechanics. That’s probably the best I can say without giving it away. They are going to be satisfied [with] some upcoming stuff that will be pretty cool, I think.”

We’ll just have to wait and see exactly where Zombies goes in the next 12 months.

But, with the Season One roadmap already public, it’s evident a standard round-based map isn’t coming to Vanguard anytime soon.