Studio Liverpool Sheds Light On The Futuristic Zombie Apocalypse That Never Was

Unsatisfied with simply delivering an awesome racer, developer Studio Liverpool's introduced a number of popular modes over the years — including the excellent Zones and trippy Eliminator. All of WipEout's modes share a common enthusiasm for speed, but turn the bog-standard racing formula on its head — serving up something altogether unique and memorable.

While we're well aware that most gamers are tired of zombies, WipEout 2048's canned ZOMBIE mode sounded as smart and inventive as ever. Outlined by game director Stuart Tilley on the PlayStation Blog, the mode was designed as a kind of cross between traditional WipEout and survival.

"You start in darkness, alone on the track," explained Tilley. "Then you hear them in the distance, the digital scream of their engines filling you with dread. They start to show up on your Zombie radar, a handful at first in hot pursuit and full of ominous darkness. Then they’re on you, ramming you, destroying themselves if need be, but they’re taking you with them. You can pick up Cannons and the occasional (but very rare) Quake to defend yourself, but it’s only going to delay the inevitable – you will die."

It definitely sounds like a novel idea, but unfortunately it was scrapped before completion. However, Tilley said that like the zombies the mode was based on — ZOMBIE is not totally dead just yet.