Call of Duty Zombies has had a long history, but for many, Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 was the the mode’s peak. Now, out of nowhere, the man behind that game's take on Call of Duty Zombies has made a comeback — and he seems to be teasing a major reveal.
Jason Blundell was the director of Zombies for Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, taking on the role thanks to his work on the massive popular Origins and Mob of the Dead maps. However, back in February 2020, Blundell parted ways with Treyarch, with little said about what he would be doing next. Out of nowhere, he has reappeared, though gamers are more confused than ever before when it comes to what exactly Blundell could be working on.
Blundell’s sudden return came during JCBackfire’s recent livestream, something that has led to a lot of excitement in the Zombies community. Previously, the pairing was responsible for the reveal of Call of Duty: Black Ops 3’s Zombies Chronicles expansion, a highly successful DLC that remade several iconic maps. With the same exact dynamic being recreated in this stream, one of the most popular theories is that Jason Blundell has returned to Treyarch to help develop the heavily requested Zombies Chronicles 2.
In the stream, Blundell reveals himself to the audience after sitting on a couch with a chained metal box for a long period of time. While fans have not yet seen the contents of this box, they do get to see Blundell’s face before the stream comes to an end. While this could be nothing more than a playful joke, Blundell being so secretive for so long makes that seem unlikely. With the former director always teasing Call of Duty Zombies fans via morse code puzzles and complex cyphers to solve, this odd livestream cameo is right up his alley.
Outside of a possible Zombies Chronicles 2 reveal, some fans are theorizing that this is related to the standalone Zombies game, with Blundell returning to direct the project. Yet another guess is that Blundell is working on Call of Duty 2021, helping to make Sledgehammer’s Zombies mode a success. A final guess suggests that Blundell is revealing a new game with his own studio, something supported by the fact that JCBackfire has been teasing “a new job” in the gaming industry. Given their close relationship and JC's love for Zombies, Blundell could have hired him to help work on a new game.
Again, it is important to note that fans should not get their hopes up, as this could lead to something small or nothing at all. With TranZit teasers in Outbreak and a standalone Zombies game rumored, though, it is hard to blame the Call of Duty Zombies community for expecting something big from Blundell’s comeback.