After much anticipation, “Call of Duty: Black Ops 2” is just hours away from being released. Treyarch is still unveiling features that players can expect upon launch, one of which being the bonuses that accompany Season Pass holders.

The development studio just announced on Monday that players subscribing to the “Black Ops 2” Season Pass will be getting the Nuketown Zombies map free of charge sometime during December, as Slash Gear reports. The “Call of Duty: Black Ops II” DLC Season Pass costs $49.99, and gives players access to all four map packs that will be released sporadically over the coming months.

However, only Season Pass holders playing on an Xbox 360 console will gain access to the Nuketown Zombie map beginning next month. Those using a PC or a PlayStation 3 will get the map at a later date.

Prior to this announcement, the only way to get the Nuketown Zombies map was to pre-order one of the three special editions of “Black Ops 2.” These versions included the Hardened Edition for $79.99, the Care Package Edition for $179.99, or the PC exclusive Digital Deluxe Edition for $79.99. Fans who pre-ordered the regular version of “Black Ops 2” were not eligible to receive access to Nuketown.

Companies decided to offer the Nuketown map “in response to the overwhelming amount of enthusiasm demonstrated by the Call of Duty community over Treyarch’s Zombie Mode,” Slash Gear also reported.

Treyarch began to reveal more insight as to what players can expect in the long-awaited Zombies campaign back in September. The company’s official Twitter account posted a teaser trailer containing the first gameplay footage just before the Zombie Mode world reveal came on Sept. 26.

The new post-apocalyptic undead mode is expected to put a fresh spin on the zombie shooter that players have grown to love. New gameplay modes will accompany the Zombie Mode found in “Black Ops 2,” such as survival mode that will involve two teams struggling to outlast each other. Typically, the Zombie Mode found in “Call of Duty” games requires players to work together to fend off hordes of the undead.

"Zombie Mode" isn’t the only aspect of “Call of Duty: Black Ops 2” that will see some new additions; Tuesday’s release marks the first time the franchise has shifted to a near-future setting, and Treyarch’s Mark Lamia discussed this shift when speaking with Shack News.

“We wanted to keep it feeling plausible and grounded as we were creating our fiction, but also make sure it’s in service of the game as well,” Lamia said to the gaming news source. “We try to become subject matter experts. That’s easy when you’re talking about the past, because there are books and you can talk to people.”

Come tomorrow, players will be able to see all of Treyarch’s efforts in full effect. The follow-up to 2010’s “Black Ops” certainly has some stiff competition to face this holiday season, as “Halo 4” just saw its launch last week and “Assassin’s Creed 3” was released at the end of October.

Are you planning on purchasing a “Black Ops 2” Season Pass or Special Edition package? Sound off in the comments below, and view the trailer to get a glimpse at the upcoming Zombie Mode.

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