Call Of Duty's Zombies Director Leaves Activision

The Call of Duty franchise has lost one of its most veteran developers who helped create the fan-favorite Zombies mode. Jason Blundell, a 13-year veteran of Treyarch, said in a statement that he enjoyed working at the studio over the past decade-plus, and he was particularly happy and excited about his contributions to the Zombies mode.

"[The Zombies team is] comprised of some of the most creative and talented developers in the industry, many of whom you never see because they're behind the scenes shaping the direction of each experience," Blundell said.

Blundell also thanked the Zombies community directly, saying he appreciates their "passion, enthusiasm, and frankly, your craziness."

"The beauty of Zombies is that it has always been about the interaction between us as developers and one of the most passionate player communities on the planet," Blundell said. "These are memories I will cherish for a lifetime."

Blundell did reveal his plans for where he's heading next or what he plans to do in his post-Activision career.

Blundell's credits at Treyarch include Call of Duty 3, Spider-Man 3, 007: Quantum of Solace, and then all four Black Ops games.

In 2015, Treyarch studio boss Mark Lamia spoke about how Zombies almost didn't happen. He said he nearly cut the mode from Call of Duty: World at War, where it first appeared, because he saw its early prototypes as a time-wasting distraction from the main game.

Of course he did not cancel the mode, and that's good news because it has gone on to become one of the best parts of Call of Duty. Check out GameSpot's previous write-up to learn more about how Zombies was almost canceled.

A new Call of Duty game is coming in 2020, but it remains to be seen which studio is behind it. A recent report claimed that Treyarch is developing 2020's Call of Duty, which will be Black Ops 5.