What has your role been in the development of Call of Duty: Black Ops?
I am the lead animator for Black Ops and the creative lead for our "Zombies" mode. As lead animator I get to work with experts in warfare (Major John Plaster and Sonny Puzikas), designers and programmers to come up with various new enemy types and AI behaviors (which I truly had a blast doing this time around) as well as manage a team of extremely talented animators who create all the assets needed to flesh these ideas out and bring the game to life as something the fans can play. As creative lead on Zombies, I (and many others) really get crazy with ideas and game play…I mean really crazy…come on, Zombies? Nothing is out of reach for this mode.
There are few foes in this world that are as universally loved as Zombies. How has the development of this mode been different from the Black Ops campaign and multiplayer modes?
There really are no limits that we impose on ourselves while coming up with ideas for Zombies, aside from preserving the core Zombies game play experience. There is no "reality" aspect that we have to uphold in any way. The sky, and perhaps multiple dimensions are up for grabs.
What new surprises can Zombie vets expect from the return of the undead?
As always, Zombies is a mode about discovery and survival, so certainly people can expect more of this. Existing fans and new converts can also expect the unexpected when it comes to Zombies, like new boss enemies that can take out the whole team, and map design that can entrap you. There are lots of other surprises we don't want spoil for you...
Check out the rest of the interview HERE.