Call of Duty fans were recently treated to a series of leaked screenshots that seem to showcase a very early build of Treyarch’s 2023 release. The screenshots, if legitimate, confirm a number of interesting details. Call of Duty 2023’s semi-futuristic setting is backed up by several aspects of the leak, while a realism difficulty for the campaign will be included. Multiplayer will incorporate old Specialist abilities in place of field upgrades, and the game will be a Black Ops title that incorporates gameplay systems from Modern Warfare 2019.
While information on the Zombies mode for Call of Duty 2023 is more limited, fans do get some confirmation that it will have a “classic” style - implying that a round-based approach will be taken as opposed to the objective focus from Call of Duty: Vanguard. While this is great news for all the players disappointed in the latest take on Zombies, as a return to form has been highly requested, it is not the most interesting part of the leak. This is because Zombies Factions finally seems to be coming, a feature promised years ago for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Zombies’ Most Infamous Slip-Up
While Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s Blackout mode was a huge success, the game was not without its shortcomings. A campaign was scrapped after a few attempts to do something different, and an early October release date meant that Zombies launched in a bug-filled state. With the mode taking risks via the new Chaos storyline as well as a controversial change to perks, the community quickly became toxic. While there were several aspects of the game that led to outrage, the unkept promise of Zombies Factions was talked about constantly.
Factions were delayed numerous times before quietly being scrapped, something that served as a major letdown for the Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Zombies player base. Described by former Treyarch game director and co-studio head Jason Blundell as Callings during the reveal event, players were supposed to have the option of joining one of four groups - the Bloodfaith, Tempus Novi, Dustborn, and First Legion. Alongside lore about the factions, players would get seasonal challenges tied to their Faction of choice.
Originally, 12 challenge events were supposed to come alongside Factions, with players unlocking exclusive cosmetics themed around their faction of choice. These would likely take the form of calling cards, emblems, weapon variants, and the game’s face paint patterns. While the feature certainly could have added a new layer to Zombies, fans were left wondering what could have been. However, based on the latest Call of Duty 2023 leak, Factions are finally coming to Call of Duty Zombies in Treyarch’s next project.
How Zombies Factions Will Work In Call of Duty 2023
The leaked description for the Call of Duty 2023 feature claims that Factions will give players access to six challenges (with more likely coming in each Season), and each of these six challenges will unlock a cosmetic item based on the player’s chosen group. Once players align themselves with an organization, they will not be able to change their loyalties for that Season, so they will have to pick wisely. Three of the four Factions return from Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, as players can choose between the Dark Aether, Omega, and Requiem.
As for the fourth group, fans are in the dark, as the leaked images show that no asset is ready for the fourth faction as of now. It will serve as the replacement for the Maxis faction, which is understandable given Samantha’s sacrifice in the final cutscene of Forsaken. It remains to be seen whether the replacement faction will once again focus on one character like Peck, or if it will be another proper group that is entirely new to the Dark Aether narrative.
As for the cosmetics tied to the six Factions, Call of Duty Zombies fans will likely see the logos of each group featured heavily on Operator skins and weapon blueprints. Crystal-covered weaponry for the Dark Aether faction makes sense, with players wielding guns that look like they have spent time in the alternate dimension. The Omega and Requiem patches could be made into emblems, too, with characters that are part of the two organizations being featured in special calling cards. Given that the original plan for Factions included lore about each group, audio logs and documents could also serve as potential rewards.
How Zombies Factions Could Impact Call of Duty 2023's Gameplay
While the Factions system sounds like an excellent way to reward Zombies players who stick with Call of Duty 2023 across all of its Seasons, and gives them a way to take sides and get more invested in the narrative, the system should not stop there. Factions has the potential to be a massive draw for the next iteration of CoD Zombies if Treyarch allows the mechanic to be more than an extra source of cosmetics.
With Zombies Chronicles 2 requests so prevalent among the game’s fan base, so too are hopes for a Grief comeback. Factions would instantly allow the PvPvE mode to make a return, as Treyarch could pit players aligned with Omega against those on the side of Requiem. Players could actively battle against other Factions this way, proudly representing their group against another enemy team made up of other players. Instead of having random CIA agents face off against the CDC like in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Treyarch can capitalize on the fact that the Dark Aether Factions are already fighting against each other in the lore.
Aside from Factions being a perfect explanation for Grief’s return, the feature could see players competing each Season for a special reward. Treyarch could set a Seasonal challenge and track how well each faction performs, with the winner getting an exclusive Operator skin or weapon blueprint. One Season could see the four groups fighting to see which Faction can finish the most main quest easter eggs, while another could see the four teams fighting for most rounds survived. This could add to the feeling of the Factions constantly battling against one another, giving players a reason to grow more attached to their group of choice.
While Call of Duty 2023’s Zombies Factions mode is Treyarch making up for one of its past failures, it has the potential to be much more than that if the four Factions have a meaningful impact on gameplay.
