Massive announcements have been made by Call of Duty, athlete rallying hype. Official Call of Duty Twitter notified of a CODPOD episode with guest Nolan North coming really soon with a zombie emoji in tow-the talk of the town. This is one huge thing for the entire COD audience, especially for those who have been in Zombies mode for quite some time.
Who is Nolan North, and why is this important? Few, if any, have managed to carve themselves a stronghold in the corridors of game voice acting like Mr. North has. Among literally hundreds of others that consumers easily recognize, he is the voice of Dr. Edward Richtofen for the Call of Duty Zombies storyline. That somewhat cryptic tweet with the zombie emoji and the caption: “The Doctor is in,” is a wink straight at his best-known COD character, much to the delight of the gamers.
Reception has been most positive. One gamer says: “Oh shit it’s the 🐐 lets go”, while another says “the goat”; this sentiment sums up that of the whole crowd. Many stated how much they really missed this character to the point that one said, “We missed you soooo much doc!!!! 😭😭🫶🏽,” showing that these characters can really touch people’s hearts.
Now, what is this CODPOD? The assumption must be that it’s actually Call of Duty’s official podcast series where developers, voice actors, and all other manner of people who’ve worked behind the scenes talk about the games. This particular one with Nolan North seems to be generating more buzz than usual, probably since lately, the Zombies community has been roaring loud about many issues facing the game.
More voices could be heard in the players’ ranks, and less were celebrations, many unveiled their frustrations. One player: “Why did I just get a 210 Gb update?” Hell yeah, that is massive and totally ridiculous. Another one annoyed, saying, “This is like the second update within a month!! I don’t wanna play beta but yet I turn the PS5 on and now 2hr update!!”
So a little insider banter about the Zombies mode! Several players have inquired whether other voice actors of the Zombies cast will appear on future CODPOD episodes; one comment asked, “Any chance we can get future episodes with the rest of the zombies cast?” while another named Gene Farber, Chantelle Barry, and Nelson Lee. This speaks volumes concerning the player’s curiosity about who is behind the scenes and shows their interest in hearing more from those that voice the characters.
The timing of the announcement is interesting. It came close to what many are calling the beta phase of the latest Call of Duty game, and many of the players are taking this to vent their dissatisfaction at the state of Zombies at the present time. One comment simply said, “How CallOfDuty is treating zombies players during the beta,” along with a GIF politely expressing disappointment. Another player then gave his own take on the state of Zombies, lamenting how the inclusion of Warzone elements was a bad idea: “I don’t want to have shield in zombies and loot this isn’t warzone.”
Somewhat bubbly could be the feeling despite all this negativity toward the game. It seems there is genuinely an excitement to interact with the voice of one of COD’s most beloved characters. The developers may almost argue that, by inviting such a big-name voice actor for their podcast, they are essentially listening to the community and looking to actively create content the player really wants.
Players value the talents behind the games very much. It almost is not about the gameplay clichés or the graphics. People truly get involved with these characters, and hearing the operators who give these characters their voices sells the experience. “A special place in my heart. Always making me laugh and just has the best character,” said one player about Nolan North’s character.
Well, I guess the CODPOD series could be considered another big push by Call of Duty to really engage more with its community from within and to give deeper insight into development decisions. There is a real act of smart foresight behind bringing somebody like Nolan North, who really is gaming royalty at this point in time, simply because they know what the players really want: It is not just new maps and weapons. Some days it is the stories and characters that rescue the developers from pointless.
Some very interesting commentary around the Zombies mode from the inside! Such a great idea, as a number of players have been asked if they will see more voice actors from the Zombies cast in future CODPOD episodes, with one comment saying, “Any chance we can get future episodes with the rest of the zombies cast?” and another naming Gene Farber, Chantelle Barry, and Nelson Lee. This means the players are very curious about the faces behind the scenes and want to hear more from the folks who voice these characters.
The timing for this announcement is quite interesting. Coming in close claims to being the beta period for the latest Call of Duty game, with some players taking the opportunity to vent their discontent with the present state of Zombies. One comment said simply, “How CallOfDuty is treating zombies players during the beta,” paired with a GIF humbly expressing disappointment. One other player then spewed his view on the state of the Zombies itself, lamenting how the incorporation of Warzone elements has been a bad idea, stating, “I don’t want to have shield in zombies and loot this isn’t warzone.”
While these may be the words of despair for the game, the mood might just be a little light. There’s some genuine excitement about talking to the voice actor behind one of COD’s most beloved characters. Bringing in such a huge-name voice talent for their podcast RSVPs somewhat implies that the developers are really taking the community’s matter of concern and are now actively trying to come up with the sort of content the players want.
Appreciative that the players recognize the talents who made these games. It is not just about the gameplay maneuvers or the graphics. People really do get invested in these characters, and listening to the operators who give them their voices is just icing on the cake. As one player expressed, Nolan North’s character holds “a special place in my heart. Always making me laugh and just has the best character.”
I suppose the CODPOD series is probably the bigger thrust of Call of Duty to really couch in its community from within and provide that deeper insight into development decisions. ‘Bringing somebody such as Nolan North who really is gaming royalty at this stage is an act of smart foresight on their part because they know what the players really want: It is not just new maps and weapons, sometimes it is the stories and characters that pull the developers out of the late.’
While nothing is confirmed about the release date of this particular CODPOD, the announcement is generating a ton of excitement. With these legends of voice acting, the ongoing debates about game updates, and the whet Zombies community, there has been a lot happening in Call of Duty lately. For all Zombies hardcore, or anyone with a keen ear for voice work, this CODPOD episode with Nolan North surely looks worth the wait.
The gaming community continues to show strong interest in Black Ops content and eagerly anticipates new releases on both Xbox platforms.
