As Call of Duty’s 20th-anniversary approaches, it’s hard not to get nostalgic about all the memorable moments from its past. One of those moments is the creation of the Ray Gun, the epic Wonder Weapon introduced in the top-secret third mode of World at War: Zombies, by Treyarch.

Maxwell Porter, the Senior Lead Artist at Treyarch, knows the history of the Ray Gun like the back of his hand. He started his journey with Call of Duty 2: Big Red One as an environment artist and then became a weapons artist for Call of Duty 3. Ultimately, he ended up being the only weapons artist for Call of Duty: World at War.

When asked about the inspiration behind the Ray Gun, Maxwell shared that he had a chat with an art director where they were brainstorming about bringing in different elements to the World at War storyline. And that’s when he had the brilliant idea of incorporating those retro-futuristic toys that came in cereal boxes back in the day.

With that idea in mind, Maxwell spent an hour every day working on what would eventually become the legendary Ray Gun. He free-formed and modelled the weapon to perfection, becoming the man behind the Ray Gun himself.

Maxwell wanted to create a weapon that felt like a mix of a toy and a real weapon, and he also wanted to add Easter Eggs to it, which he loved in video games. No one actually asked him to create the Ray Gun; it was something he did on his own because he wanted to convince a designer to put it in the game.

As luck would have it, he found out about the secret third mode in World at War and immediately went to the designers to pitch the idea of the Ray Gun. They loved the idea, especially since Zombies and the concept of the Magic Box were gaining popularity at the time. Players who were playtesting the game would excitedly shout, “I GOT THE RAY GUN!” when they found it.

Chris Cowell, who currently manages all the big map experiences for Treyarch, including Blackout in Black Ops 4 and Outbreak in Black Ops Cold War, remembers the Ray Gun fondly. It was the first Wonder Weapon that was created by accident as an Easter Egg in Little Resistance. Cowell had a lot of fun getting it to work in Blackout, but it also came with its own set of technical challenges such as ballistics and ensuring that the weapon would work the same way for all players, regardless of how many people had the Ray Gun. Despite the challenges, the Ray Gun remains a technical achievement that gamers love.

Collin Ayers, who is now the Lead Sound Designer, started his career at Treyarch as an intern over 15 years ago. His first game at the company was World at War, where he was responsible for the sound design of Zombies, including the Ray Gun. The reload sequence for the Ray Gun was the first sound design he created for the game, and that sound has remained relatively unchanged to this day.

He has continued to work on Zombies to this day alongside Head of Audio Brian Tuey. When Ayers and Tuey were working on the sound design for the Ray Gun, they wanted to create a sound that was both modern and classic. They decided to use a combination of different tools, including banging a wrench on a wire and using helical spring toys to create the iconic “poing-poing-poing” laser noise that is now synonymous with the Ray Gun.

To make the sound even more immersive, they added modern elements to it and had the game shoot the sound out in different directions, making it sound like an alien energy bouncing around. The end result was a sound that was both unique and instantly recognizable, and gamers have been enjoying it ever since.

Pre-Orders the Ray Gun Now

And now, you can own this piece of history.

The Call of Duty Zombie Ray Gun Replica is available today for pre-orders on the Call of Duty Gear Shop at US$600 MSRP or your regional equivalent. The Replica is 100% PU, with the Mystery Box case it comes in being made up of 100% Polyresin. The product weight and dimensions are as follows:

• Product Weight Unpackaged – 5.2 kg
• Product Weight Packaged – 6.9 kg
• Product Dimensions Unpackaged – 48 x 44 x 16 cm
• Product Dimensions Packaged – 60 x 54 x 23 cm