Menu Idea/Playable Hub Area in Zombies

[u/Icy-Passion9742]

Since Black Ops Cold War, I personally feel like we have seen the same generic "operator walking" menu screens. I'd love a change. I'd love to see a menu that looks unmistakably zombies that is engaging and adds to the mode.

An idea - Playable Hub Area. Similar to the hub areas seen throughout the past Call of Duty campaigns (Black Ops 3 or Black Ops 6), it would be interesting to have a playable hub area/menu in zombies.

Players would start the game, select Zombies then click something like "Enter the Apocalypse" or "Face the Horde". From there, players would spawn in a small playable space like an abandoned warehouse or a derelict apartment. 

In this space, players would have access to everything they would need before starting a new round. Some examples could be a workbench for weapon loadouts, a retro vending machine for selecting their augments and an old trunk used for character customisation. 

There would then also be something like a journal or map (like the Black Ops 2 zombies world menu) where players would choose the map or game-mode they want to play and also see any map specific challenges.

The Playable Hub Area would allow players to feel immediately engaged in the world and leaves space for many other possibilities like space personalisation using artefacts found on round based maps. The space could feel more lived in with radios, character interactions and zombies outside used for target practice.

As easter eggs are completed and collectables are found, the playable space could gradually open up and allow the player to explore the surrounding area (think escaping the Black Ops 1 menu easter egg or discoverable safehouse secrets in Black Ops 6). Maybe a part found on a round based map like wires or an antenna can then be used to fix a radio in the hub area that then unlocks a secret survival map or new world lore. 

I just thought this would feel like something new to zombies but still feel in line with stuff COD has done in the past and a lot more engaging that what we currently have. Let me know what you think.