Activision just shot down the one Call of Duty Zombies rumor we were all hoping was true

A prominent leaker has claimed that a standalone Call of Duty Zombies game is being eyed up for the launch of Xbox's next-gen hardware. However, in a rare instance of it publicly addressing a specific rumor, Activision has swiftly shot these claims down, which has been met with plenty of disappointment from Zombies fans.

Whenever a Call of Duty game releases without a Zombies mode (or serves up a mediocre offering) I always see plenty of people arguing the same case: Activision should just make a standalone CoD Zombies experience. This idea almost became a reality back in the early 2010s, with a former Raven Software developer claiming that the studio began work on a live service Zombies game before Treyarch decided to take back control of all things undead.

For a long time, I haven't fully agreed with those desperate for a separate Zombies experience - I think there's merit in seeing the mode attached to these various CoD titles, spanning different eras, styles, and even subseries (who remembers Advanced Warfare's ridiculous Exo-Zombies?). However, with the recent rise of PvE co-op games like Helldivers 2, it's something I've definitely warmed to - both in terms of something I'd like to see and play, but also as something that could be commercially viable for Activision.

Imagine my excitement, then, when I spotted Call of Duty leaker 'TheGhostOfHope' claiming that Microsoft and Activision want to make a big splash at the start of the next generation of Xbox hardware.

"Sources indicate to me that the delay on the next Xbox has 'hurt' a lot of CoD's marketing plans as they wanted Modern Warfare 4 to be a launch title and draw a lot of hype to compete with people's attention alongside GTA 6," they say. Modern Warfare 4 has not been officially confirmed as 2026's new Call of Duty game yet, but all of the evidence is pointing towards it.

"Because of this delay, the idea of two Call Of Duty games launching with the next Xbox has been floated," TheGhostOfHope continues. "A traditional Call of Duty multiplayer and a standalone Zombies title presumably developed by Treyarch. Likely similar to that of Infinite Warfare and Modern Warfare Remastered where both released together.

"Microsoft wants Activision to be more agile and less attached to annualized releases in the future."

Salivating stuff, if you ask me. Treyarch has put enormous effort into bringing a wealth of Zombies content to Black Ops 6 and 7 in consecutive years, which has been great to see. Not every new location has been an all-timer, don't get me wrong, but there's an enormous amount of round-based maps and alternative game modes buried within the Zombies experience in both games. It would be an impressive slate of content for most live service PvE games, so why not spin it all out into a dedicated, standalone title?

However, in a reply to coverage of these claims on X, Activision has swiftly shot down TheGhostOfHope's report. "The rumor factory working overtime. This ain't it," the official Call of Duty account simply says.

TheGhostOfHope has since doubled down on his claims and accused Activision of being dishonest in rubbishing their report. "Whoever at CoD PR came up with denying almost any rumor put out by anybody besides datamined stuff is a genius," they say. "Makes leakers look like fools and everybody will forget about them lying in a few years when this stuff comes true LOL. They know what they're doing, I'll give them that."

There are also some very disappointed CoD fans reacting to the Call of Duty account's post. Many feel like a standalone, live service Zombies game would work for everybody - the phrase "free money" is thrown around more than once. "So a leak finally shows something *good* coming and Call of Duty says 'this ain't it' lmfao," says CoD content creator 'NerosCinema.' Prominent Zombies YouTuber Jonathan 'MrDalekJD' Hutchinson also reposts Activision's denial with a crying face emoji.

As someone who's not particularly excited by the prospect of Modern Warfare 4 (given the disappointing entries in that series over the last few years by Infinity Ward), TheGhostOfHope's report definitely perked me up a bit. But that buzz was short-lived. Perhaps Activision is bluffing, and maybe it will go for it to make a big splash when the new Xbox drops, supposedly in 2027 - I've certainly got my fingers crossed that this denial is a red herring.