It appears that those interested in taking part will need to pre-order the game to get access to the Private Beta.
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Vonderhaar also announced that Black Ops 4 would be the first Call of Duty game running on Blizzard’s Battle.net online platform for the PC.
In a new mode that comes with Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 titled Blackout, a large group of players (speculated to be between 100 – 140 based on hints in the trailer) will drop into one large map that is a culmination of the entire Black Ops franchise. The battle royale mode is likely the biggest news of the day. Tragic considering most gamers in developing markets such as India where Call of Duty is absurdly popular don’t have the bandwidth or connectivity necessary for a pure multiplayer experience.
An important point is that Treyarch listened to their community, so the multiplayer game system will have a slightly more traditional approach compared to titles like Infinite Warfare or Black Ops III. As for Zombies, three maps are available at launch and it adds new characters and weapons too. Next it may be another game, then Black Ops 4, and then ultimately people will move on to another battle royale game.
That means other Call of Duty developers Sledgehammer and Infinity Ward may be planning a single-player campaign for their next releases (and it’s Infinity Ward’s turn next year).
The one Specialist I’m super excited to FINALLY see in the series is the support character named Crash.
Players are strong on their own, but unstoppable as a team, especially when they combine Specialists in strategic ways to work together. But otherwise, the announcement was scant of details – including how many players would be on the map at once.
Weapons are more customizable than ever. Battle Royale is just a fad and it’s a shame to see Call of Duty merely trying to cash in on it. The new Zombies mode looks nearly like a homage to Left 4 Dead – four heroes fighting hordes of Zombies as a team in tons of different scenerios. but in Black Ops 4 Zombies, those heroes seem to be jumping through time.
The second trailer is a level called Voyage of Despair, set aboard a cruise ship on course for destruction.
Set in ancient Rome, IX thrusts our four protagonists into a coliseum where ritual sacrifices may be required. There’s also a third mode, the return of Blood of the Dead.
Treyarch is also investing more heavily in the Zombies mode, with three major co-op maps across three different time periods.
As expected, Call of Duty is diving headfirst into the “Battle Royale” genre with Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s Blackout Mode. The map this mode takes place on is “over 1500 times bigger than Nuketown”, and features fan-favourite characters, weapons, and locations. It’ll feature your favourite characters, weapons and numerous locations from your favourite Black Ops games, including land, sea and air vehicles. They even mentioned that the mode will contain air, sea, and land vehicles. Like previous entries in the series, Black Ops 4 is being developed by Treyarch, but this year’s installment features some significant changes to multiplayer.
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As always, there will be another “Call of Duty” game flying off shelves this holiday season. What is unexpected is the fact the game will be exclusive to Blizzard’s Battle.net. Activision’s Treyarch teases that teams who survive to the end will unlock “deep” secrets about the mode.
