Following months of leaks, rumours, and Activision themselves dropping in-game easter eggs, the California-based video game publishers have finally dropped details on the next game in the Call of Duty franchise.
Referred to as an “interquel”, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will feature events that happen in between Call of Duty: Black Ops and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. So far, we’ve already got a couple of exciting details. But before we get into it, make sure to reload on your PSN Gift Cards in preparation for the game’s release!
Now let’s go.
What is Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War?
Black Ops is a sub-series of titles that’s part of the Call of Duty franchise. The first game was released in 2010 as a direct sequel to Call of Duty: World at War.
It will be the sixth instalment in the Black Ops storyline and is set to be the 17th main release of the franchise.
Unlike the other Call of Duty titles, the Black Ops sub-series of games have been exclusively developed by Treyarch. However, for the latest title, Treyarch will be working closely together with Raven Software.
Will There Be a Single-Player Campaign?
Reviving iconic characters seemed to have breathed a new life into the audience’s interests in the single-player campaigns of the Call of Duty franchise.
Reintroducing characters like Captain John Price to modern audiences and gamers who grew quite fond of him, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is aiming to do the same. It’ll reportedly revive central characters Alex Woods, Jason Hudson, and Frank Mason. All three were part of the original Call of Duty: Black Ops title released in 2010.
The story will revolve around the Cold War in the 1980s as the tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States rise. It will have players track down “Perseus”, a fictional character supposedly inspired by a potential Soviet Spy of the same code-name that was believed to have successfully infiltrated the United States government.
Multiplayer & Zombies
As always, the multiplayer component will play a huge part in Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War, and as confirmed by Activision, it will come with numerous changes. For starters, Activision has confirmed that the latest Black Ops title will support cross-play. This means that Xbox One players will be able to play with PS4 players, as well as those on the PC. However, what’s new to the title is that it will reportedly support cross-generation multiplayer as well.
What this means is that, upon release, gamers on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One will also get a chance to play with those on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
That aside, Activision’s latest Call of Duty title will come with a seasonal battle pass, as is the case with today’s shooters. However, what makes it different is that it will reportedly share its progress with Warzone. Meanwhile, gamers can also expect to keep any Modern Warfare content that they may have earned, including operators and weapon blueprints, among others.
This is a huge departure from having to leave content after switching from one Call of Duty instalment to another. Another confirmed detail for Black Ops – Cold War is the return of the widely popular horde mode, Zombies.
First released by Treyarch for World at War way back in 2008, the return of Zombies mode will definitely be enough to get gamers to come and play Black Ops – Cold War in hordes (pun intended). Activision intends to do a full multiplayer reveal on September 9th.
How Will This Affect Warzone?
Call of Duty: Warzone is a free-to-play title and is Activision’s take on the Battle Royale formula. It borrows a lot of elements from other Battle Royale titles like Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds and Fortnite. However, it adds plenty of its own flavour to it too. With that said, the release of a new Call of Duty title has many players concerned.
Naturally, Activision’s focus will be on Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, and even though both titles have different developers, the cause for concern is valid. But, Activision has promised that they will continue to support Warzone. In fact, they plan on continuously adding more and more features to the free-to-play title.
Activision has also confirmed that they plan on incorporating new Call of Duty entries into Warfare in the future.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Release Date
The confirmed release date for Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War is November 13th, 2020. The latest Black Ops title will have a simultaneous release on all the major gaming platforms: PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
It is currently unknown if it will be available at launch for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Sony and Microsoft’s next-generation consoles are booked for a “Holiday 2020” release, although both companies have yet to release the exact date for when their respective consoles will be released.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Price
Right now, you can pre-order Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War on consoles and PC. It is available on the PlayStation Store (PS4), Microsoft Store (Xbox One), and Battle.net (PC).
The Standard Edition will sell for US$59.99, with a cross-gen bundle (for current-gen and next-gen versions) available for just US$69.99. Meanwhile, an Ultimate Edition will sell for US$89.99. This will come with the cross-gen bundle, as well as a “Battle Pass Bundle” (comes with access to the first Battle Pass and 20 tier skips) and the “Land”, “Sea”, and “Air” pack that includes nine items.
Those who pre-order today will have access to the Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War beta. This will include the “Confrontation Weapons Pack” and a “Woods Operator Pack” available for both Warzone and Modern Warfare. That’s all we know for now! So, what are you most excited for with this release? Let us know in the comments below.
