Treyarch and Activision Reveal More Details for Call of Duty: Black Ops III
Following yesterday’s reveal trailer, Treyarch and Activision have revealed some additional details on the next installment of their mega franchise, Call of Duty, with Call of Duty: Black Ops III. The latest iteration of the Black Ops offshoot of the franchise is being developed exclusively for the next-gen consoles. The game will be released only on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows PC later this year on November 6.
In terms of the campaign, Activision revealed that the story campaign can be played as a full single player game or co-op online with as many as four players. Call of Duty: Black Ops III will also feature a new Call of Duty Zombies campaign that will feature its own XP progression system for the first time in franchise history.
In addition, Black Ops III marks the first time Treyarch was able to have a three-year development period for the game in order to bring the title to the next console generation. Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg commented on the game’s release and extended development cycle, saying: “Nearly 100 million people have played Call of Duty: Black Ops and Call of Duty: Black Ops II, making it the most-played series in Call of Duty history. And those fans are about to get the best Black Ops game we’ve made yet with Call of Duty: Black Ops III. This is Treyarch’s first three year development and man, have they made the most of it; with a ton of innovation across all modes of play, and of course a mind bending, wild ride of a story, Black Ops style. Our fans will get a taste for themselves with a Beta later this year. But for now, Black Ops is back.”
Treyarch head Mark Lamia added: “Black Ops III is without a doubt, the most ambitious project ever in the history of our studio. Since the launch of Black Ops II, we have been pushing ourselves to develop the best Call of Duty game we can for the millions of fans that continue to play our games, even to this day. We’ve been taking advantage of the three year development cycle by pushing our game design forward in every way imaginable, crafting all-new experiences, mechanics, systems and characters, all in the deepest Call of Duty that we’ve ever made. This really is like getting three games in one.”
The story campaign takes players into a future where bio-technology and cybernetic enhancements have created a new breed of Black Ops soldiers. Players will be connected to an intelligence grid through what is called Direct Neural Interface (DNI) technology. This technology allows soldiers to have enhanced combated abilities to fight fight faster, stronger, and smarter.
Activision is boasting a new momentum-based, chained-movement system for the game’s multiplayer mode. The multiplayer campaign is said to allow fluid movement through custom-built environment with finesse while maintaining complete control over your weapons. The multiplayer mode will also feature the new Specialist system. The Special system will allow players to rank up nine elite Black Ops soldiers, each which have their own unique look, personality, voice, weapons and abilities. Lastly, multiplayer will feature an all-new weapon customization system, so players can build and personalize their own perfect weapon. More details on the multiplayer campaign will be released later on.
As mentioned earlier, there will be a signature Zombies mode for the game that Activision is promising will be the “most immersive and ambitious Zombies [mode] to date.” The new Zombies mode will be highlighted by a new XP progression system to add more depth and replayability.
Players who pre-order Call of Duty: Black Ops III will have access to a multiplayer beta, which will be available for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Windows PC at a later date. In addition, Activision has provided us with some cover artwork and screenshots for the game, which you can check out below.