During the development of Call of Duty: Black Ops III, many features were cut, including the original open world campaign mode along with the planned last-gen campaign. Several weapons, gamemodes, Multiplayer maps, and other mechanics were also discarded during the development phase.
Campaign[]
Open World Campaign[]
The original plan for the campaign was an open world experience set within a post-apocalyptic dystopia with several large hub worlds to explore. After a year of active development, the entire project was scrapped and work began on the current iteration of the campaign, reusing the setting, story locations and many other assets.
Last-Gen Campaign[]
Image of last-gen Rise & Fall.
Remnants of the campaign for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions can still be found within the game's files. The campaign mission Rise & Fall can be accessed through modding, however the game runs at an incredibly low frame rate before crashing.
General[]
Weapons[]
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Chaser | Lock-on Launcher. |
| EMP Launcher | Sound files remain. It's unknown if it was a Specialist Weapon or a regular launcher. |
| MCAS | Full-auto Assault Rifle with a hybrid mechanic. It could swap between an Assault Rifle and Submachine Gun configuration, changing how the weapon performs. |
| Patriot | Assault Rifle that appeared in a pre-alpha build. Nothing else is known. |
| Riot Shield | Appears in game files as lefthand_shield. It can still be loaded into the game via console commands. |
| Robot Gun | Assault Rifle with a default pink texture and a KN-44 magazine. |
Equipment[]
The Sensor Grenade was planned to return from Call of Duty: Black Ops II. Its leftover T7 icon can still be found, still using the BO2 icon. Despite being cut, its model still appears in the Campaign's safehouse.
Multiplayer[]
Maps[]
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Bypass | Strings remain. |
| Confinement | Strings remain. |
| Exile | Only a menu image remains. |
| Freighter | Strings remain. Set within Singapore. |
| Sentosa | Strings remain. It was set within Singapore, as revealed by the text "MPUI_SENTOSA_LOC": "Old Singapore" |
| Training | Strings remain. |
| Zoo | Strings remain. Set within Singapore. |
Gamemodes[]
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Old School | Appears in game files and mod tools. No classes, Players must fight for rechargeable pickups around the map which have weapons, equipment and perks. |
| Purgatory | Appears in game files. |
| Resistance | Appears in game files. |
| Stockpile | Appears in game files. Replaced by Fracture. |
| Sudden Death | Appears in game files. |
Specialist Abilities[]
Several Specialist Abilities were scrapped, some with unknown effects.
| Name | Icon | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Bubble Shield | 
|
Icon appears in game files. Creates a bubble of protection for yourself and allies. |
| Boomerang | 
|
Icon appears in game files. |
| Cleanse | 
|
Icon appears in game files. Clears status effects. |
| Pulse | 
|
Icon appears in game files. Replaced by Vision Pulse. |
| Resurrect | 
|
Icon appears in game files. Allows for resurrection on death. Replaced by Rejack. |
Perks[]
| Name | Icon | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Dexterity | Icon appears in game files. Aim faster after sprinting. Mantle and climb faster. | |
| Hardline | Icon appears in game files. Earn scorestreaks faster. | |
| Lightweight | Icon appears in game files. Move faster. Take no damage while falling. | |
| Marathon | 
|
Icon appears in game files. Sprint for a longer duration. |
| Toughness | 
|
Icon appears in game files. Flinch less when shot. |
Zombies[]
Maps[]
Two scrapped maps are known to exist for the Zombies Chronicles DLC.
| Map | Description |
|---|---|
| Mob of the Dead | Scrapped Zombies Chronicles remaster that still has t7 remnants in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. It was likely scrapped due to Blood of the Dead starting development.
|
| TranZit | Scrapped Zombies Chronicles remaster that still has t7 prefix remnants in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. It was likely scrapped for similar reasons, with a TranZit remake being planned during development.
|
Difficulties[]
During its pre-alpha phase, Zombies had three selectable difficulties with each being harder than the last: Survivor, Hunter and Exterminator.
Outfits[]
Pre-alpha outfits menu.
Pre-alpha screenshots reveal that Zombies would've supported customisable outfits for the playable characters, unlocked through XP. The icons for Primis are from their Call of Duty: Black Ops II renders, while the icons for the Shadows of Evil crew are taken from concept art.
Alternate Ammo Type[]
An AAT known as Honey Business has leftover sound files. It presumably would've released bees to decapitate Zombies.
Menu featuring cut GobbleGum.
GobbleGums[]
Several GobbleGums were cut from the game, including: Brainiac, Center of Attention, Firestarter, Melee Master and Toxic Vindicator. Some of these may have been renamed into the current roster of GobbleGums, however it cannot be confirmed.
Demonic Announcers[]
In the files of Revelations, both Doctor Monty and the Shadowman have lines as the Demonic Announcer. However, these files went unused for an unknown reason.[1]
Customization[]
Camouflage[]
| Name | Icon | Description |
|---|---|---|
| See Me | 
|
Has the phrases "NOW U SEE ME" and "NOW U DON'T" written in alternating white, grey and black text. |