It’s been something of a rough year for Activision’s marqueeCall of Dutyfranchise. While the Sledgehammer-developed stop-gap titleCall of Duty: Vanguardwasn’t likely to put up numbers comparable to the more popularCall of Duty: Black OpsandCall of Duty: Modern Warfaresubseries, thesales figures for the latestCall of Dutyentryhave been disappointing nonetheless. That said, Treyarch, the team behind the game’s controversial Zombies addition, soldiers on, having recently teased the fourth and final map for the mode.

In a tweet posted on August 15, Treyarch declared that “Kortifex must die” and confirmed that the name of the forthcoming map will be The Archon. Greek for “ruler,” this seems to be a direct reference to the mode’s primary villain, though it could also refer to Zykov, the antagonist fromCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold Warwho is said to have usurped Kortifex as ruler of the Dark Aether. Unfortunately, the nigh-on nonexistent Easter eggs found in Der Anfang andTerra Maledicta disappointed many fans, meaning that few are likely still following the mode’s secretive storyline.

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One definite bright spot, however, is the confirmation that The Archon will be a round-based outing. WhenCall of Duty: Vanguard’s Zombies mode was first introduced, it came as a somewhat half-baked objective-based experience that repurposed multiplayer maps and received an overwhelmingly negative reception from the community. This will be the second round-based Zombies map inCall of Duty: Vanguard, and, given the fact that a Zombies mode will not be included in 2022’sCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, it’ll likely be the finalCall of Duty Zombies installment for some time.

The Archon also may be the first and only completely original Zombies map to be included inCall of Duty: Vanguard. As previously mentioned, the first two maps released for the mode were constructed atop existing multiplayer maps, and theSeason 4 return of Shi No Numawas simply a remaster of a map that had already been twice reintroduced to theCall of Dutyseries. Unfortunately, this is unconfirmed, and, given Treyarch’s recent track record, there’s a not-insignificant chance of The Archon ending up as a retread of older classics like Der Riese fromCall of Duty: World At Waror Kino Der Toten fromCall of Duty: Black Ops.

The Archon is expected to debut alongside the launch ofCall of Duty: Vanguard’s fifth and final season. After that, fans can begin to gear up for the October release ofCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which is one ofthe most highly-anticipated games of 2022.

Call of Duty: Vanguardis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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