Dataminers have discovered content that suggests Call of Duty: World at War would've had a much larger focus on vehicle combat in its multiplayer modes.
Back in the mid to late 2000s, Call of Duty was defining its formula. It became annualized, with multiple studios alternating between games, ast-paced and class-based PvP multiplayer modes, and a blockbuster campaign. Still, there was a lot to figure out on what exactly those multiplayer experiences would look like. We know it well now, but it seems that Treyarch was playing around with vehicles in the series' earliest multiplayer modes.
Call of Duty 3 and Call of Duty: World at War's multiplayer modes both featured vehicles that players could freely get into and use. In World at War, it felt like a bit of an afterthought, as only four maps actually had tanks, but it turns out there were much larger plans for them.
As discovered by ForwardLeaks and @TheSpoopatron on X, World at War would've allowed players to call in tanks after obtaining seven kills. These tanks would've been fully customizable with special perks, different weapons, and more. Players would've been able to equip flamethrowers to the tanks, have control over their speed, and much more.
To support all of this, World at War would have had more maps that were specifically designed to accommodate tanks. Unfortunately, all of this got cut (or at least drastically reduced) before launch. It's unclear why Treyarch pulled back on this, but it's possible that it wasn't as fun or didn't work as well as they'd hoped.
World at War also suffered from a fairly rushed development. Despite having a two-year dev cycle, the game underwent massive revisions and changes, which may be another reason why these features and maps were cut.
It's interesting to think about what Call of Duty might have looked like, had these features shipped. Would vehicles have played a bigger part in future Call of Duty games? It's hard to say. The recent Modern Warfare games have had vehicles as part of its Ground War mode, seemingly as a way to compete with large-scale multiplayer games like Battlefield. It's a fun addition, but it has yet to rival the more intense 6v6 experiences in the game.
Players also discovered a cut Zombies tower defense mode in the recent Black Ops ports. Those ports are among the best selling games of 2026, as fans have flocked to the older games in droves.
Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN's news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.
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