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''Call of Duty: Black Ops 4'' is a 2018 first-person shooter game developed by
Treyarch Treyarch Corporation ( ; formerly Treyarch Invention LLC) is an American video game developer based in Los Angeles with Additional studio locations in Vancouver, Canada; and Austin, Texas. Founded in 1996 by Peter Akemann and Doğan Köslü, it ...
and published by
Activision Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one o ...
. It is the fifteenth installment of the ''
Call of Duty ''Call of Duty'' is a first-person shooter military video game series and media franchise published by Activision, starting in 2003. The games were first developed by Infinity Ward, then by Treyarch and Sledgehammer Games. Several spin-of ...
'' series and the fifth entry in the ''
Black Ops A covert operation or undercover operation is a military or police operation involving a covert agent or troops acting under an assumed cover to conceal the identity of the party responsible. US law Under US law, the Central Intelligence Ag ...
'' sub-series, following '' Call of Duty: Black Ops III'' (2015). The game was released on October 12, 2018, for
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
,
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, and
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...
. ''Black Ops 4'' is the first mainline ''Call of Duty'' title to not include a single-player campaign. Instead, it features the Specialist HQ, which details the backstories of the multiplayer mode's characters, known as "Specialists"; its missions are set between '' Call of Duty: Black Ops II'' (2012) and ''Black Ops III'' chronologically. The multiplayer component is the first in the series to not feature automatic
health regeneration Health is a video game or tabletop game quality that determines the maximum amount of damage or fatigue something takes before leaving the main game. In role-playing games, this typically takes the form of hit points (HP), a numerical attribute ...
and introduces both predictive recoil and a new
ballistics Ballistics is the field of mechanics concerned with the launching, flight behaviour and impact effects of projectiles, especially weapon munitions such as bullets, unguided bombs, rockets and the like; the science or art of designing and acceler ...
system. The cooperative
Zombie A zombie (Haitian French: ; ; Kikongo: ''zumbi'') is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. In modern popular culture, zombies appear in horror genre works. The term comes from Haitian folkl ...
s mode also returns, with four maps available on release day. Additionally, ''Black Ops 4'' features a
battle royale Battle Royale may refer to: * Battle royale, or battle royal, a fight among many combatants ** Battle royal (professional wrestling) Fiction and literature * Battle royale genre, a narrative genre of films, manga, anime and visual novels inspire ...
mode called Blackout, which features up to 100 players in each match. During the development cycle of ''Black Ops 4,'' Treyarch initially planned to include a campaign-like mode in the game, titled "Career", which was intended to continue the story of ''Black Ops III'', but the mode was scrapped in early 2018 due to technical concerns, timing, and negative feedback from play-testers; the team resorted to creating the Blackout battle royale mode as a replacement for Career. Teasing of the game began in March 2018; a full reveal took place later in May. Two
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s were held for ''Black Ops 4'', one for the multiplayer component in August and one for Blackout in September. Pre-release reception of the game was negative due to the game's lack of a campaign mode and the Black Ops Pass, a
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that distributes
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(DLC) in the form of "Operations". Upon release, ''Black Ops 4'' received positive reviews from critics, with praise directed towards Blackout. It drew criticism for the design of its
microtransactions Microtransaction (mtx) refers to a business model where users can purchase in-game virtual goods with micropayments. Microtransactions are often used in free-to-play games to provide a revenue source for the developers. While microtransactions ...
implemented in updates. Despite grossing over $500 million in worldwide sales within its first three days of release, ''Black Ops 4'' ultimately failed to meet Activision's overall sales expectations. The game was followed by '' Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War''.


Gameplay

''Black Ops 4'' is a
first-person shooter A first-person shooter (FPS) is a video game genre, video game centered on gun fighting and other weapon-based combat seen from a First person (video games), first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action directly through t ...
. Unlike previous entries in the ''Call of Duty'' series, ''Black Ops 4'' is the first entry to not feature a traditional
single-player A single-player video game is a video game where input from only one player is expected throughout the gameplay. Video games in general can feature several game modes, including single-player modes designed to be played by a single player in add ...
campaign, and contains only Multiplayer, Zombies and a new
battle royale Battle Royale may refer to: * Battle royale, or battle royal, a fight among many combatants ** Battle royal (professional wrestling) Fiction and literature * Battle royale genre, a narrative genre of films, manga, anime and visual novels inspire ...
mode called Blackout.


Multiplayer

''Black Ops 4''s multiplayer features the return of Specialists, unique soldier characters with special abilities and traits. At launch, the game featured a total of ten Specialists, six of which (Ruin, Prophet, Battery, Seraph, Nomad, Firebreak) are returning characters from ''Black Ops III'', while the other four (Recon, Ajax, Torque, Crash) are new additions. Unlike ''Black Ops III'', the game allows only two unique Specialist per team, in order to emphasize the role of each character. Following launch, more Specialists (Zero, Outrider, Spectre, Reaper) were added to the roster, with unique weaponry and equipment. Multiplayer has also been reworked with various changes for more tactical and team focused gameplay. Automatic health regeneration is removed in favor of a manual healing system (with each player having a health bar), weapons are now given predictive recoil patterns, and a mixed ballistics system, using both hitscan and projectile damage, is employed as opposed to just hitscan. Weapon customization is also emphasized, allowing for deeper personalization of players' arsenals; attachments are also given tiers, with tier-2 upgrades providing even bigger improvements to the weapons. Certain weapons also offer Operator Mods, which significantly change how a weapon works, while costing a significant portion of the 10 customization slots per class. A new Gear slot was also implemented in create-a-class, allowing for the selection of a single powerful item such as Body Armor. In addition, the game includes Specialist Headquarters, a solo mode featuring short tutorials (known as Onboarding missions) that feature backstories on various Specialists in the game. The missions are set within the same narrative world of the Black Ops campaigns, between the events of ''Black Ops II'' and ''Black Ops III''.


Zombies

Zombies returns as the cooperative multiplayer mode for ''Black Ops 4''. The game mode features a wider range of customization, allowing for more personalized play styles. Mechanics of the game can be customized via "Custom Mutations", which include over 100 variables, such as overall difficulty, zombie speed, health, damage, and more. Time-limited events known as "Callings" are also promised to be included in the game for long-term engagement. Similar to the Nazi Zombies mode in '' Call of Duty: WWII'', custom loadouts are included to allow players to select different starting weapons, equipment and special upgradable weapons, as well as perk selection to be available in each match. A new game type, Rush, is introduced into Zombies, where the players build up points and multipliers and compete against one another for the highest point possible until death. ''Black Ops 4'' features a new form of consumable items called Elixirs, which grant temporary buffs to the players upon activation; and Talismans, special modifiers that are applied at the start of each match. Elixirs are provided in five types: Classic, Common, Rare, Legendary and Epic; the first is unlocked permanently via player progression, while the latter four are consumable and only craftable using the in-game currency. Talismans are also consumable, and can only be acquired in the same method. ''Black Ops 4'' is also the first game to feature two distinctive, separate storylines for Zombies. At launch, the game features three on-disc maps: "Voyage of Despair", which takes place on the ; "IX", which takes place in an Gladiatorial Arena in
Roman Egypt Roman Egypt was an imperial province of the Roman Empire from 30 BC to AD 642. The province encompassed most of modern-day Egypt except for the Sinai. It was bordered by the provinces of Crete and Cyrenaica to the west and Judaea, ...
; and "Blood of the Dead", a soft-remake of the ''Black Ops II'' map "Mob of the Dead", taking place once more in
Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary United States Penitentiary, Alcatraz Island, also known simply as Alcatraz (, ''"the gannet"'') or the Rock, was a maximum security federal prison on Alcatraz Island, 1.25 miles (2.01 km) off the coast of San Francisco, California, United S ...
. The former two maps form the new "Chaos" storyline, and star a new cast of characters: Scarlett, Shaw, Diego and Bruno; while "Blood of the Dead" returns to the original "Aether" storyline established in the previous ''Black Ops'' games, and stars the four original characters (Dempsey, Nikolai, Takeo, Richtofen; also known collectively as Primis). A fourth map, titled "Classified", is included in the special editions of the game and the "Black Ops Pass" at launch, and is a remake of the ''Black Ops'' map "Five", featuring the original incarnation of Primis (known as Ultimis) as the playable characters. The map "Dead of the Night" features a celebrity cast, in maintaining tradition of previous ''Black Ops'' games containing one Zombies map with playable characters portrayed by celebrities.


Blackout

''Black Ops 4'' features a
battle royale game A battle royale game is an online multiplayer video game genre that blends last-man-standing gameplay with the survival, exploration, and scavenging elements of a survival game. Battle royale games involve dozens to hundreds of players, who ...
mode called Blackout which serves as a stand-in for the campaign mode. While utilizing the traditional ''Black Ops'' combat style, the mode includes the largest map featured in a ''Call of Duty'' title. Players compete against each other through locations appeared in previous ''Black Ops'' games. This mode will also feature land, sea, and air vehicles for players to use. The game mode features various playable characters from the entire ''Black Ops'' series, such as Alex Mason from the original game, Raul Menendez from ''Black Ops II'', and the Primis crew from Zombies. In Blackout, up to 100 players, who can choose to play as Solo, Duos, or Quads (squads of 4), drop into the map via helicopters, and must scavenge for loot to survive as the last person(s) standing, while a circle collapses and narrows the map's playable area. In addition to regular weapons, players can equip health kits, armors, ammo types, attachments, as well as perk consumables. AI-controlled zombie enemies also spawn at Zombies-themed locations, such as Asylum or Lighthouse, and upon being killed drop Zombies loot items, such as the Ray Gun or Cymbal Monkey. Several vehicles, such as the
ATV ATV may refer to: Broadcasting * Amateur television *Analog television Television broadcaster * Andorra Televisió * Anguilla Television * Ayna TV, Afghanistan * ATV (Armenia) * ATV (Aruba), NBC affiliate * ATV (Australian TV station), Melbourn ...
and
helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...
, are also available for traversal around the map. Similar to ''
Fortnite Battle Royale ''Fortnite Battle Royale'' is a 2017 Battle royale game, battle royale video game produced by Epic Games. It was originally developed as a companion game part of the early access version of ''Fortnite: Save the World'', a cooperative survival ...
'' and the main multiplayer, Blackout features special modes that change the presence or mechanics of physical items in the Blackout world. Modes such as 'Close Quarters' emphasise a faster and more aggressive playstyle through the exclusion of long-range weapons, while others like 'Fast Collapse' feature a faster narrowing of the circle. Later updates included a different map, called 'Alcatraz', which features a significantly smaller map, which is supposed to represent
Alcatraz Island Alcatraz Island () is a small island about 1.25 miles offshore from San Francisco in San Francisco Bay, California, near the Golden Gate, Golden Gate Strait. The island was developed in the mid-19th century with facilities for a Alcatraz Isla ...
. Main differences between Alcatraz and the regular map include the fact that only 40 players are allowed per match, there are respawns included, and no vehicles are present.


Synopsis


Characters and settings

The Multiplayer and Blackout modes take place in the 2040s, and are centered around the Specialists, a group of global elite soldiers hired by researcher Savannah Mason-Meyer (
Evangeline Lilly Nicole Evangeline Lilly (born August 3, 1979) is a Canadian former actress and author. She gained popularity for her first leading role as Kate Austen in the ABC drama series '' Lost'' (2004–2010), which garnered her six nominations for the ...
), granddaughter of Alex Mason (
Sam Worthington Samuel Henry John Worthington (born 2 August 1976) is an Australian actor. He is known for playing Jake Sully in the ''Avatar'' franchise (2009–present), Marcus Wright in '' Terminator Salvation'' (2009), and Perseus in '' Clash of the Titan ...
). The initial Specialist roster includes: infantryman Donnie "Ruin" Walsh (Christian Rummel), demolitions expert Erin "Battery" Baker (Morla Gorrondona), Medical Sergeant Jarrah "Crash" Bazley (
Mark Coles Smith Mark Coles Smith (born 1987), also known as Kalaji, is an Aboriginal Australian (Nyikina) actor of stage and screen, sound designer, field recordist, writer, and composer. He is known for his roles in the feature films '' Last Cab to Darwin'' ( ...
), militia officer Kerk "Ajax" Rossouw (
Stelio Savante Stelio Savante is a South African actor that has appeared in 140 films, TV series and video games in the last three decades. He is known for his roles as a South African/Israeli journalist and undercover Mossad agent opposite Jim Caviezel and ...
),
JGSDF The , , also referred to as the Japanese Army, is the land warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three service branches. New military guidelines, announced in December 2010, direct t ...
soldier Katsumi "Recon" Kimura (
Daisuke Tsuji is an American actor. Tsuji is best known for his performance as Jin Sakai in the video game ''Ghost of Tsushima'' (2020) and as the Crown Prince Akihito in the TV series ''The Man in the High Castle'' (2015–2019). Early life Daisuke was bor ...
), former
British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
Corporal Kieran "Torque" Mackay (Matthew Waterson), ex-arsonist Krystof "Firebreak" Hejek (Adam Gifford), 54 Immortals enforcer He "Seraph" Zhen-Zhen (Judy Alice Lee), survivalist Tavo "Nomad" Rojas (David Cooley), and engineer David "Prophet" Wilkes (Dwane Walcott). Additional Specialists later join the roster, including: hacker Leni "Zero" Vogel (
Stephanie Lemelin Stephanie Lemelin is an American actress and screenwriter. She is best known for voicing Artemis Crock on ''Young Justice'', Eep on '' Dawn of the Croods'' and Audrey on ''Harvey Girls Forever!''. Early years Lemelin's father is former NHL goali ...
), scoutswoman Alessandra "Outrider" Castillo (Loreni Delgado), assassin Spectre (Roger Garcia), and combat robot EWR-115 "Reaper" (
Keith Silverstein Keith Silverstein is an American voice actor, known for lending his voice to English versions of Japanese anime and video games. He is best known for his roles as Johan Liebert in '' Monster'', Vector the Crocodile in the '' Sonic the Hedgehog' ...
). Other characters featured in the Specialist Stories include: Jessica Mason-Green (Alexa Kahn), Savannah's sister and a former squad mate of Ruin and Battery; Sergeant Frank Woods (James C. Burns), Mason's best friend who appears as an instructor in the Specialists' training program; Viktor Reznov (Piotr Michael), a Red Army soldier who was Mason's ally prior to his death; and Raul Menendez (
Kamar de los Reyes Kamar de los Reyes (November 8, 1967 – December 24, 2023) was a Puerto Rican actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Antonio Vega on the ABC soap opera ''One Life to Live'', primary antagonist Raul Menendez of the 2012 video game '' C ...
), former leader of the terrorist organization Cordis Die who plays a vital supporting role in Savannah's research. The Chaos story of Zombies mode features a new cast of characters, starring: adventurer Scarlett Rhodes (
Courtenay Taylor Courtenay Taylor is an American actress. She is best known for her video game voice roles as Jack in the ''Mass Effect'' series, Ada Wong in the ''Resident Evil'' series, the female Sole Survivor in ''Fallout 4'', Amanda Holliday and Empress C ...
), former
French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (, also known simply as , "the Legion") is a corps of the French Army created to allow List of militaries that recruit foreigners, foreign nationals into French service. The Legion was founded in 1831 and today consis ...
soldier Bruno Delacroix (Andrew Morgado), Mexican spy Diego Necalli (Christian Lanz), and British chemist Stanton Shaw (Nick Boraine). Scarlett leads the other three in search of her father, Alistair (
Charles Dennis Charles Dennis is a Canadian actor, playwright, journalist, author, director, and screenwriter. Background Dennis is the third son of Sam and Sade Dennis. He attended Cedarvale Public School, Vaughan Road Collegiate, and University College at ...
), who has mysteriously disappeared following an encounter with the Order, an ancient cult worshiping a dark power led by the High Priest (
Fred Tatasciore Fred Tatasciore ( , , born June 13, 1967) is an American voice actor who has provided voices in animated and live-action films, television shows, and video games. He is known for voicing the Hulk, Volstagg, and Beast in various Marvel media and ...
). ''Dead of the Night'', a prequel to Scarlett's story, features a different crew of characters, who are Alistair's associates: the Rhodes family butler Godfrey (
Charles Dance Walter Charles Dance (born 10 October 1946) is an English actor. He is known for playing intimidating, authoritarian characters and villains. Dance started his career on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) before appearing in film an ...
), stage show cowboy Gideon Jones (
Kiefer Sutherland Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland (born 21 December 1966) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his starring role as Jack Bauer in the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox drama series ''24 (TV series), 24'' (2001–2010, 20 ...
), phony psychic Christina Fowler (
Helena Bonham Carter Helena Bonham Carter (born 26 May 1966) is an English actress. Known for her roles in Blockbuster (entertainment), blockbusters and independent films, particularly period dramas, List of awards and nominations received by Helena Bonham Carter ...
), and Brigadier General Jonathan Warwick (
Brian Blessed Brian Blessed ( ; born 9 October 1936) is an English actor. He is known for his distinctive bushy beard, booming voice, and exuberant personality and performances. He portrayed PC "Fancy" Smith in ''Z-Cars''; Augustus in the 1976 BBC television ...
). Other characters include the Oracle of Delphi (
Cissy Jones Cissy Jones is an American voice actress. Jones's voice has appeared in games such as ''Firewatch'', '' The Walking Dead'', ''Life Is Strange'', ''Grand Theft Auto V'' and '' Darksiders III''. She voiced the part of Lois Lane in the 2018 game ...
), who guides Scarlett's crew toward their goal, and
Perseus In Greek mythology, Perseus (, ; Greek language, Greek: Περσεύς, Romanization of Greek, translit. Perseús) is the legendary founder of the Perseid dynasty. He was, alongside Cadmus and Bellerophon, the greatest Greek hero and slayer of ...
(Andrew Morgado), the demigod son of
Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...
who became a zombie warlord after failing a trial. The Aether story of Zombies mode continues the story from ''Black Ops III'', and follows the Primis crew: Edward Richtofen (
Nolan North Nolan North (born October 31, 1970) is an American actor best known for his voice acting roles. After his breakthrough role as Dr. Chris Ramsey on the ABC soap opera '' Port Charles'' in 1997, North moved into voice acting when the show ended ...
), "Tank" Dempsey (
Steve Blum Steven Jay Blum (; born April 29, 1960) is an American voice actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, his roles include Spike Spiegel from the anime series ''Cowboy Bebop''; Amon from ''The Legend of Korra''; Heatblast, Ghostfreak, and ...
), Nikolai Belinski (Fred Tatasciore), and Takeo Masaki (
Tom Kane Tom Kane (born 1962) is an American former voice actor. He is known for his work in animation and video games, most notably the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Career Kane began his voice acting career in 1977 when he was just 14 years old. Some of his ...
), as they continue their mission of securing their souls from fractured timelines at the behest of Doctor Monty, an omnipotent being who resides in the
Agartha Agartha (also spelled Agartta, Agharti, Agarath, Agarta, Agharta, or Agarttha) is a legendary kingdom that is said to be located on the inner surface of the Earth. It is sometimes related to the belief in a hollow Earth and is a popular subjec ...
dimension. Along their journey, Primis teams up with their original incarnation, known as Ultimis, while also receiving assistance from Victis, a group of survivors who previously interacted with Richtofen: Abigail "Misty" Briarton (Stephanie Lemelin), Marlton Johnson (
Scott Menville Scott David Menville (born February 12, 1971) is an American actor and musician who is known for his voice work in animated films, television series and video games. He voices Robin in Cartoon Network's ''Teen Titans'' (2003–2006) and ''Teen ...
), Samuel Stuhlinger (David Boat) and Russman (
Keith Szarabajka Keith Szarabajka (; ; born December 2, 1952) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Mickey Kostmayer on '' The Equalizer'', Daniel Holtz on ''Angel'', Gerard Stephens in '' The Dark Knight'' and Adam Engell in '' Argo''. He has ...
). Other characters include: the Shadowman (
Robert Picardo Robert Alphonse Picardo (born October 27, 1953) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the Doctor on '' Star Trek: Voyager''. He also appeared as Richard Woolsey in the ''Stargate'' franchise, the Cowboy in '' Innerspace'', Coach ...
), leader of the Apothicon race who opposes Monty and the Order of the Keepers; the Warden of Alcatraz Penitentiary (Tom Kane), who subjected himself to becoming the Shadowman's servant and is tasked with imprisoning Primis; Doctor Ludvig Maxis (Fred Tatasciore), an ally of Primis from Dimension 63 who attempts to contact them occasionally from Agartha; Samantha Maxis (
Julie Nathanson Julie Nathanson (born 1972 or 1973) is an American actress known for voicing Rosalie Rowan in '' The Zeta Project'', Silver Banshee, and Jewelee in the DC animated film '' Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay'', Yelena Belova in Avengers Assemble, an ...
), Ludvig's daughter from the original dimension who now also resides in Agartha as a cleansed soul; Eddie, the cleansed soul of Richtofen from Dimension 2210 who now resides in Agartha in the form of a child; Rushmore (
John de Lancie John Sherwood de Lancie, Jr. (born March 20, 1948) is an American actor, best known for his role as Q in various ''Star Trek'' series, beginning with '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' in 1987 and leading up to the third season of '' Star Tre ...
), an artificial intelligence operating the systems of Camp Edward, a Broken Arrow facility; Cornelius Pernell, Broken Arrow's Director who was transformed into a pure electric being following an experiment; and Pablo Marinus, a Mexican test subject of Group 935 who lives in their Siberian outpost as a hermit.


Plot


Multiplayer/Blackout

In 2043, during a covert mission involving a mercenary group, US Army Specialist Jessica Mason-Green is presumably killed in action while her squad mates, Donnie "Ruin" Walsh and Erin "Battery" Baker, escape with critical injuries. Two years later, Savannah Mason-Meyer, a trillionaire researcher and Jessica's sister, recruits ten of the world's most elite soldiers, including Ruin and Battery, for a top-secret project against an unknown threat. Savannah uses a Combat Immersion program to train the Specialists in a virtual simulation, with Sergeant Frank Woods acting as their instructor. While taking a break from training, Ruin discusses with Battery about their survival two years prior, and that he received a warning message from a mysterious individual. At some point, the individual contacts Ruin at his home, tipping him off to an ambush by mercenaries. Ruin survives the ordeal, and arrives at a warehouse where he confronts the individual, revealed to be Jessica who remained alive and went undercover. It is implied that Savannah intends to eliminate all the Specialists she hired, and that she was somehow responsible for the botched mission in 2043. Woods is then shown in an asylum, standing beside a wheelchair-using Alex Mason. As Mason mutters to himself, Woods tells him that it has always been him "in the box". Intel files unlocked from completing Specialist tutorial missions reveal additional stories. Savannah is revealed to be running Project Blackout, an experiment that is implied to be about resurrection of the dead through unknown means. The project was successful in reviving four subjects, referred to as "archetypes": Mason, Woods, Viktor Reznov, and Raul Menendez; the latter is tasked with overseeing the project alongside Savannah. Jessica, who disapproves of Savannah's actions, was revealed to have been actually shot by Savannah during a heated argument between the two sisters. Battery is revealed to have been seeing flashes of numbers, an effect of the brainwashing technique that Mason previously experienced during the Cold War, further hinting that the event of the mission in 2043 may not have been real. Woods, who is involved in a relationship with Savannah, is tasked with brainwashing Mason, using the same technique from before, for an unknown purpose. The latter was then allowed to meet Reznov, who Woods claims to have survived the events of Vorkuta.


Zombies (Chaos Story)

On March 20, 1912, treasure hunter Alistair Rhodes hosts a party at his mansion in England, where many of his associates are invited. However, the Order, an ancient cult who has been after Alistair for some time, kidnaps him by enslaving his butler, Godfrey to do their bidding. Using a mysterious device called a Sentinel Artifact, the Order releases a substance called Prima Materia, transforming all of the guests in the mansion into zombies, sparing only Godfrey and three other guests: Gideon Jones, Christina Fowler, and Jonathan Warwick. The four band together to battle against the combined forces of undead, werewolves and vampires roaming the mansion. After successfully completing the trial, the four put an end to the undead outbreak, but Godfrey, under the influence of his dark self, murders the other three and inadvertently sets the mansion on fire. He is then killed by Alistair's daughter, Scarlett, who then gives chase to her father's kidnappers. She fails to rescue Alistair, but finds a letter he left behind, instructing her to seek out three of his most trusted associates: Bruno Delacroix, Diego Necalli, and Stanton Shaw. After recruiting Alistair's three friends, Scarlett boards the with them in search of a Sentinel Artifact, which is kept locked up. They successfully acquire it, but then encounter a member of the Order who activates the artifact, transforming every ship crew member and passenger into zombies. Just as the ship crashes with an iceberg, the four work together in order to recover the Sentinel Artifact and restore it. In doing so, they activate an ancient trial, which tests them with various puzzles and tasks. Upon successful completion of the trial, the Prima Materia's effect is reversed, and all passengers on the Titanic are reverted to their human state. The crew discovers an apparition of a gateway, but before they could interact with it, they are forced to escape as the ship sinks. Shaw points the crew toward their next destination,
Delphi Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), was an ancient sacred precinct and the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient Classical antiquity, classical world. The A ...
,
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
in order to find answers. Unbeknownst to the crew, Bruno possesses the same marking that Godfrey had, hinting at his dark self taking over. Scarlett and the gang are guided by the Oracle of Delphi to an ancient cavern where the gateway is located. After inhaling a mysterious vapor, they begin to hallucinate and are taken back in time to an Gladiatorial Arena in
Roman Egypt Roman Egypt was an imperial province of the Roman Empire from 30 BC to AD 642. The province encompassed most of modern-day Egypt except for the Sinai. It was bordered by the provinces of Crete and Cyrenaica to the west and Judaea, ...
, where the High Priest of Chaos ses a Sentinel Artifact to turn slaves into zombies and pit them against gladiators for entertainment. The crew, now taking on the form of gladiators, is forced to fight for survival, as they complete various challenges to appease the four Gods: Danu, Ra,
Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...
and
Odin Odin (; from ) is a widely revered god in Norse mythology and Germanic paganism. Most surviving information on Odin comes from Norse mythology, but he figures prominently in the recorded history of Northern Europe. This includes the Roman Em ...
. Upon completion of the challenges, they face off against a combined force of undead warriors in the arena, and emerge victorious. The completion of the trial opens a portal to the Library of the Nine, but the High Priest fails to access it. He then has Scarlett and the rest executed despite their demand for clemency. Snapping out of the hallucination, Scarlett then inputs the symbols she saw on the portal into the gateway, allowing the crew to enter the Ancient City of Delphi. They meet up with the Oracle, who has been trapped here for centuries amidst an ongoing Sentinel Trial. Hoping to prevent the ancient demigod
Perseus In Greek mythology, Perseus (, ; Greek language, Greek: Περσεύς, Romanization of Greek, translit. Perseús) is the legendary founder of the Perseid dynasty. He was, alongside Cadmus and Bellerophon, the greatest Greek hero and slayer of ...
from slaying the Olympian Gods, she assists them in fighting against the zombie horde roaming the city, as well as various ancient mythical Greek creatures. In the midst of the trial, Bruno's dark self takes over temporarily and secretly kills Shaw, then revives him using the Scepter of Ra, allowing Shaw to also be enslaved by his dark self. The trial reaches its culmination as the crew battles against Perseus and his winged steed
Pegasus Pegasus (; ) is a winged horse in Greek mythology, usually depicted as a white stallion. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. Pegasus was the brother of Chrysaor, both born from Medusa's blood w ...
, and triumphs. While Scarlett attempts to free the Oracle, the other three follow her directions to look for Alistair, only to find that he and other Order members have been petrified. Diego runs back in horror, and discovers that the Oracle was
Medusa In Greek mythology, Medusa (; ), also called Gorgo () or the Gorgon, was one of the three Gorgons. Medusa is generally described as a woman with living snakes in place of hair; her appearance was so hideous that anyone who looked upon her wa ...
in disguise. Medusa renders Scarlett unconscious after acquiring certain knowledge from her mind. Diego manages to retrieve Scarlett and hides, as Medusa declares her eventual ownership of the Library, and world domination.


Zombies (Aether Story)

During their mission to secure their own souls, the Primis crew takes a detour to Alcatraz Island, where Edward Richtofen plans to acquire blood vials, items he deems necessary for his "insurance policy", to protect his companions. Upon encountering a past version of himself, Richtofen is given the Kronorium book, and learns that the contents of the book have changed, and that his own blood is now demanded by the prison's Warden. Through their attempt to survive his wrath, Primis learns that the Warden, working for the ancient Apothicon race via the Shadowman, intends to use Richtofen's blood to power a special machine called the Dark Mechanism, due to it containing a massive amount of Aether energy. After gaining the trust of the various spirits residing in the prison, Primis engages in a final showdown against the Warden and his zombie hordes, aided by the spirits of Alcatraz. Richtofen eventually enters the Dark Mechanism and willingly lets it extract his blood, hoping for a chance at defeating the Warden. This in turn releases another Richtofen, who has lived through a previous cycle of the events, and kept himself cryogenically frozen under Alcatraz for years. Using the fire elemental gem from the ancient Staff of Fire, the newly awakened Richtofen greatly weakens the Warden, allowing Primis to defeat him and free all souls in Alcatraz from their torment. Having broken the cycle, Richtofen hands the Kronorium to Nikolai Belinski and passes over the leadership mantle, convincing the latter that his soul is needed to defeat the omnipotent Doctor Monty. The new cycle's Richtofen is left to die as his blood is drained by the Dark Mechanism. Back in the original timeline, following their adventures at Shangri-La, the Ultimis crew attempts to teleport to the Moon immediately, but instead ends up in
The Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense, in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The building was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As ...
in 1963. Meanwhile, at the Ascension Facility in Russia, the scientist Yuri Zavoyski tricks his partner Gersh into activating a black hole device, sucking him in it, per the orders of a corrupted Samantha Maxis. Yuri uses the device to travel to the Pentagon and unleash the zombie horde, experimented on by the US Government, against Ultimis. The four battle against the undead across the Pentagon, as well as the Groom Lake facility of Area 51. Unbeknownst to them, a future version of Ultimis, following the destruction of the Earth in 2025, time-traveled back to Groom Lake months before the arrival of their past selves. Richtofen, whose body was occupied by Samantha's soul from the future, went into a comatose state when her soul was sucked out; however, he was revived when a zombified Richtofen arrived some times later and interacted with his comatose self, transferring his consciousness to the new body. As the future Ultimis remains in captive at Groom Lake, Primis arrives and convinces them to leave together in preparation for "the great war". Primis and Ultimis travel together to Camp Edward, a nuclear testing facility run by the American research group Broken Arrow, in search of an Elemental Shard. They activate the facility's artificial intelligence, codenamed Rushmore, who agrees to give them the shard in exchange for them proving their worthiness. After completing several tasks and demonstrating the core values of Broken Arrow, Rushmore then proceeds to open the APD (American Pyramid Device), which houses Broken Arrow's Director, Cornelius Pernell, who has been transformed into an electric being following an experiment with the shard. Dubbing himself "Avogadro", Pernell then battles Primis and Ultimis, but ultimately fails and is teleported to a different Broken Arrow facility in
Hanford, Washington Hanford was a small agricultural community in Benton County, Washington, United States. It and White Bluffs were depopulated in 1943 in order to make room for the nuclear production facility known as the Hanford Site. The town was located i ...
. The crews retrieve the elemental shard, but then learn from Doctor Ludvig Maxis, who has been residing in Agartha, that Monty is aware of their plan. Maxis reveals that Monty would be able to wipe out the Apothicons and the presence of Element 115, but at the cost of his own life; thus, he intends to perpetuate the cycle. As he attempts to send Samantha and Eddie to safety, Monty reveals his true form and devours Maxis. Samantha arrives at Camp Edward, regaining her Aether powers once more, and swears vengeance on Monty. Primis and Ultimis take a temporary break in a forest, and celebrate before their final battle. Back in Alcatraz, the cryopods in Richtofen's lab open, releasing the Victis crew from their slumber. Ultimis Richtofen, as well as Primis Nikolai, instructs Victis to go to the Group 935 outpost in Siberia to construct an "Agarthan Device", said to be capable of granting its user any wish they desire. At the Siberian outpost, Victis encounters Pablo Marinus, one of Richtofen's former test subjects who was assumed to have died, and receives his help in constructing the device, using the blood of an ancient Apothicon being, a container dubbed the Seal of Duality, and the Elemental Shard. After fully powering up the device, Pablo uses it to travel to the Great War, where he would assist Primis Richtofen in sending him back to Alcatraz and break the cycle. The Agarthan Device is then sent to Primis Nikolai, who uses it to destroy the Summoning Key. Nikolai reveals the truth that the Kronorium showed him: despite their best efforts, they would be doomed to repeat the cycle if they ever participate in the Great War. He also reveals that he and the rest of Primis/Ultimis are the catalysts that perpetuate the cycle, and as long as any of them exist, it will allow Monty to keep the cycle going, ensuring the survival of both the universe and himself. As a result, Nikolai has both crews killed by poisoning their drinks, then asks Samantha to kill him. The destruction of the Summoning Key also ensures the entire multiverse, including Monty, the Apothicons and Element 115, are banished to the Dark Aether. As Samantha and Eddie walk toward a light in the darkness, each member of Primis and Ultimis can be heard in the background revealing their desires for a life after the war.


Development

According to a report from ''
Kotaku ''Kotaku'' is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of the Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith, Cecilia D'Anastasio, Tim Rogers, and Jason Schreier. History ...
'' editor
Jason Schreier Jason Schreier (born May 10, 1987) is an American journalist and author who primarily covers the video game industry. He worked as a news reporter for ''Kotaku'' from 2011 to 2020 and was recognized for several Investigative journalism, investig ...
, Treyarch originally planned for ''Black Ops 4'' to have a campaign, titled "Career", continuing from the story of '' Call of Duty: Black Ops III'' (2015). It would have been set in a 2070s post-apocalyptic world where four players could progress through the story, split into teams of two (with an option for solo players to play with AI bots). However, in early 2018, the team decided to cancel the campaign mode due to technical concerns, timing, and negative playtesting feedback. Combined with publisher Activision's decision to release the game in October, the team resorted to creating the Blackout battle royale mode as a replacement for the traditional campaign. In August 2022, assets and details of the Career mode were leaked online, revealing further details of the story which featured two major opposing factions, the World United Nations and the Free People's Army. Gameplay would include
PVP Player versus player (PvP) is a type of multiplayer interactive conflict within a game between human players. This is often compared to player versus environment (PvE), in which the game itself controls its players' opponents and is usually off ...
and
PVE PVE may refer to: * Places ** Beech River Regional Airport, Henderson County, Tennessee, United States ** Palos Verdes Estates, California ** Prairie Vista Elementary School, Granger, Indiana, United States * Science, technology, and medicine ** ...
sections, abilities similar to those from ''Black Ops III'', side-objectives, and companion characters based on the same game's multiplayer specialists.


Marketing

On February 6, 2018, ''
Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 alongside parent company Gamer Network. In 2008, it started in the formerly eponymous trade fair EGX (Eurogamer Expo until 2013) organised by its parent company. Fr ...
'' indicated that
Treyarch Treyarch Corporation ( ; formerly Treyarch Invention LLC) is an American video game developer based in Los Angeles with Additional studio locations in Vancouver, Canada; and Austin, Texas. Founded in 1996 by Peter Akemann and Doğan Köslü, it ...
's 2018 ''Call of Duty'' title would be a new entry in the ''Black Ops'' sub-series, following ''Black Ops III''. On March 5, ''Call of Duty'' news site Charlie Intel received images of gaming retailer
GameStop GameStop Corp. is an American video game, consumer electronics, and gaming merchandise retailer, headquartered in Grapevine, Texas (a suburb of Dallas). The brand is the largest video game retailer worldwide. , the company operated 3,203 stor ...
's internal database that showed listings for items that were meant to market ''Call of Duty: Black Ops 4''. On March 7, 2018,
NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
player
James Harden James Edward Harden Jr. (born August 26, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is regarded by some as one of the greatest shooting guards in NBA hist ...
was seen prior to playing a basketball game wearing a hat bearing an orange logo. People pointed out the similarities between this logo and previous ones for ''Black Ops'' titles, which both featured
Roman numerals Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Middle Ages. Numbers are written with combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet, eac ...
colored orange. Harden later confirmed that this was indeed advertising for ''Black Ops 4''. On March 8, the game was formally announced by Activision and a teaser trailer released for it; a reveal event was held on May 17, 2018.


Release

''Call of Duty: Black Ops 4'' was released on October 12, 2018, on
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
,
Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
, and
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...
. It is the first ''Call of Duty'' title to be released in October since ''
Call of Duty 2 ''Call of Duty 2'' is a 2005 first-person shooter, first-person shooter game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision in most regions of the world. It is the second installment of the Call of Duty, ''Call of Duty'' series. Announc ...
''; titles since then have all been released in November. The release of ''Call of Duty: Black Ops 4'' a month earlier was thought to be due to
Rockstar Games Rockstar Games, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in New York City. The company was established in December 1998 as a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, using the assets Take-Two had previously acquired from BMG Interactive. Foun ...
's much anticipated release of ''
Red Dead Redemption 2 ''Red Dead Redemption 2'' is a 2018 action-adventure game developed and published by Rockstar Games. The game is the third entry in the ''Red Dead'' series and a prequel to the 2010 game ''Red Dead Redemption''. The story is set in a fictiona ...
'' on October 26. The Windows version exclusively uses
Blizzard Entertainment Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer and Video game publisher, publisher based in Irvine, California, and a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard. Originally founded in 1991, the company is best known for producing the h ...
's Battle.net platform, and will not use or be available on
Steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...
for the first time since 2005's ''
Call of Duty 2 ''Call of Duty 2'' is a 2005 first-person shooter, first-person shooter game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision in most regions of the world. It is the second installment of the Call of Duty, ''Call of Duty'' series. Announc ...
'' (which got a Steam release later). Like previous titles, a private beta for the multiplayer mode was offered to players who pre-ordered the game. On July 11, 2018, Activision and Treyarch announced the dates for the multiplayer beta: PlayStation 4 players had an exclusive first beta weekend from August 3 to 6, while a second weekend from August 10 to 13 was offered to all platforms. The Windows platform received an open beta for all players from August 11 to 13, while players who pre-ordered the game could play from August 10. Activision also announced a beta for the Blackout mode, which took place from September 10 for PlayStation 4, September 14 for Xbox One and Windows, and ending September 17 for all platforms. Like the multiplayer beta, the Windows platforms also had an open beta for Blackout which began September 15.


Special editions and downloadable contents

On June 11, 2018, Activision and Treyarch announced three special editions available for ''Black Ops 4'': the Digital Deluxe, the Digital Deluxe Enhanced, and the Pro Edition. All three editions contain the ''Black Ops Pass'', a special season pass that grants access to "Classified", a bonus Zombies map available at launch, in addition to four more maps to be released in 2019, as well as twelve multiplayer maps, and four exclusive characters for use in Blackout mode. Rather than distributing new maps via map packs like previous ''Call of Duty'' titles, the ''Black Ops Pass'' will deliver new content on a more frequent basis throughout the year. Players who pre-order any digital editions of the game on PlayStation 4 also receive the "Back in Black" map pack for ''Call of Duty: Black Ops III''. The pack contains four remastered multiplayer maps: Jungle, Summit, Slums, and Firing Range (all of which are included in ''Black Ops 4'' at launch). A collector's edition titled "Mystery Box Edition" was also announced, which contains various Zombies-themed physical items, such as a collectible Mystery Box based on the mechanic of the same name in-game, lithographs based on the three on-disc Zombies maps, and figure pins based on the four main characters of the Zombies Chaos story. A Windows-only edition containing Multiplayer and Blackout modes called the "Battle Edition" was released on December 6, 2018. On September 20, 2018, Activision and Sony revealed their partnership for ''Black Ops 4'', which allows the PlayStation 4 version of the game to receive all content updates, including free and paid content, seven days before other platforms, as opposed to the 30-day gap that was present in previous ''Call of Duty'' titles. As opposed to the traditional downloadable content model of four map packs, ''Black Ops 4'' receives frequent updates in the form of "Operations", which are themed events across all game modes, featuring a variety of free and paid limited-time content for the game, as well as the Black Ops Pass content. Following the reveal of the game's third Operation, Grand Heist, Treyarch and Activision announced their plans to feature six Operations in the game for 2019. The game features a tiered loot system called "Black Market Contraband", in which players can earn progress in tiers to earn cosmetic items by playing Multiplayer and Blackout within the duration of an Operation. The Black Market, the in-game virtual store, also features exclusive cosmetic items only purchaseable with "COD Points", a microtransaction currency. COD Points can also be used to trade for Nebulium Plasma, a currency used to craft and receive random Elixirs and Talismans in the Zombies mode. Following an update in February, the game reintroduced purchaseable lootboxes called "Reserve Crates", which contain additional cosmetic items beyond the Contraband stream.


Comics tie-in

On June 20, 2018,
Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...
revealed that they would be publishing the second season of the ''Call of Duty: Zombies'' comic book series, which was first launched in October 2016. The second season, which is a prequel focusing on the four new characters of the Chaos story, released its first issue on September 5, 2018, with 3 additional issues to follow. Treyarch's Co-Studio Head Jason Blundell and Lead Writer Craig Houston are once again behind the story of the series, and Justin Jordan and Dan Jackson return as writer and colorist, respectively, while Andres Ponce and Mauro Vargas join the series as penciller and inker, respectively. The cover art for each issue is drawn by E. M. Gist. On September 26, 2018, Activision announced a new 10-issue comic series featuring the Multiplayer Specialist characters, released for free on the official Call of Duty website. The series serves as a prequel to the game, with each issue introducing a Specialist and their background prior to the events of the game.


Reception


Pre-release

Upon rumors emerging that ''Black Ops 4'' would not have a single-player campaign mode, reactions from the ''Call of Duty'' community were negative. The official confirmation by Treyarch of the absence of a campaign led to many fans expressing their disappointment. In response to the criticism, Dan Bunting, studio co-head at Treyarch, stated in an interview with ''Eurogamer'' that "We are delivering so much more of what players spend most of their time doing in our games in the series", implying that fewer fans took their time to play the single-player than the multiplayer. In an interview with ''Polygon'' in May 2018, Bunting later claimed that a traditional campaign for the game had never been intended, and appeared to repudiate earlier reports that Treyarch had scrapped work on it due to time constraints.


Critical reception

''Call of Duty: Black Ops 4'' received "generally favorable" reviews across all platforms according to review aggregator
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
. In its 9.5/10 review, ''
Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'' is an American monthly Video game journalism, video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and video game console, game consoles. It debuted in August 1991, when the video game reta ...
'' wrote: "''Call of Duty: Black Ops 4'' makes a sacrifice that's sure to be off-putting to some with the lack of a campaign, but the surrender of tradition comes with sweeping and significant benefits. Blackout is the best battle-royale experience available today, zombies offers crazy customizable co-op, and multiplayer keeps things grounded for those looking for the classic core." ''
Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The magazine was fou ...
'' gave the game 8.5/10, writing: "''Call of Duty: Black Ops 4'' has made some bold changes to the series, and ultimately, they're for the better. The inclusion of a battle royale mode is a first, and even the more familiar multiplayer and Zombies survival mode are not what they once were. Changes are always risky, but in ''Black Ops 4''s case, it worked out for the better." ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' wrote that "''Black Ops 4'' has a few rough edges, but any of its three modes make for an enjoyable shooter experience that feel distinct and personalized." It gave separate reviews for each mode with Blackout receiving then highest at 9/10, Zombies with 8.5/10, and the Multiplayer with 7.8/10. The whole game was given a score of 8.5/10.


Microtransactions

In June 2018, following the reveal of the game's season pass, Activision and Treyarch received heavy backlash from the community for the downloadable content program as it was confirmed that map packs could not be bought separately from the pass. Players and critics compared the release model unfavorably to other companies' approach toward free content, such as
Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by former Apple Inc., Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry ...
with ''
Battlefield V ''Battlefield V'' is a 2018 first-person shooter game developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts. The game is the successor to 2016's '' Battlefield 1'' and the eleventh main installment in the ''Battlefield'' series. It is based on Wor ...
'', criticizing Activision for focusing on the monetization of downloadable content and microtransactions, and splitting the game's community. Several weeks after ''Black Ops 4'' release, a
microtransaction Microtransaction (mtx) refers to a business model where users can purchase in-game virtual goods with micropayments. Microtransactions are often used in free-to-play games to provide a revenue source for the developers. While microtransactions ...
system allowing for the purchase of cosmetic items which provided no gameplay advantages was incorporated into the game, drawing criticism for being overpriced while offering few benefits in return. ''Forbes'' Erik Kain called the cosmetics system as "
alling Alling () is a municipality in the district of Fürstenfeldbruck, Bavaria, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the A ...
short to various degrees." He criticized that progression in the game's Black Market Contraband, allowing the player to advance through tiers and unlock items, was "far too slow" and encouraged real-world money to speed up progress; Special Orders (cosmetic item bundles) not only required real money, but also subsequent hours of grinding to unlock said items; and that the Black Market shop's biggest drawback was that the cosmetic skins were "hot, steaming garbage". In summary, he condemned Activision for being "far, far too greedy at this point". Despite this, in another article, Kain felt the microtransactions did not ruin his overall enjoyment of the game, which remained "very fun, very polished ... a well-balanced first-person shooter." Wesley Yin-Poole of ''
Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 alongside parent company Gamer Network. In 2008, it started in the formerly eponymous trade fair EGX (Eurogamer Expo until 2013) organised by its parent company. Fr ...
'' also felt that the game presented a "soul-destroying" grind for players looking to unlock desired items through hours of playtime, inciting them to pay for microtransactions instead and unlock the content sooner. In February 2019, the game received further criticism when Treyarch implemented the use of
loot boxes In video game terminology, a loot box (also called a loot crate or prize crate) is a consumable virtual item which can be redeemed to receive a randomised selection of further virtual items, or ''loot'', ranging from simple customisation opti ...
into the microtransactions system. Yin-Poole noted how many fans were disgruntled at their design, as they did not note the probability of obtaining an item and also contained duplicates of things a player may already have gained. He lamented that it felt the "fantastic" core game was buckling under pressure to generate more money for Activision, citing its additional season pass, Black Market Contraband, and paid-for cosmetics, and called the overall design "convoluted, confused and inescapably money-grabbing". Kain echoed these complaints, further criticizing the cost of loot boxes and only being available by paying real-world funds, saying "There are so many ways you can spend your money in ''Black Ops 4'' at this point, it's just ridiculous." He attributed their inclusion to the game underperforming in sales for Activision. As a result of the loot boxes, some fans also accused developer Treyarch's design chief
David Vonderhaar David Vonderhaar, also known as Vahn, (born September 8, 1972) is an American video game developer and game designer. He is best known for his work on the ''Call of Duty Black Ops'' franchise. Career Vonderhaar began his career at Activision ...
of lying as he had initially stated that unlocking Blackout characters could not be achieved through microtransactions. Vonderhaar responded by saying "I can tell you what we have done and what we plan on doing, but things change that I can not predict or I didn't know about. Doubly true with the business side of things which I have little insight into and even less control over ... I answer the questions as best I can with the information I have at the time I am asked."


Sales

''Black Ops 4'' grossed over $500 million in worldwide sales within its first three days of release. Despite being the best-selling digital launch in
Activision Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one o ...
's history, overall physical retail sales were down 50% from '' Call of Duty: WWII'' (2017), making it the lowest in the series in a decade. The game's lack of a single-player campaign did not hinder overall sales. The game was the top selling title of October 2018 in the US. It became the second best selling title in November and December 2018, behind ''
Red Dead Redemption 2 ''Red Dead Redemption 2'' is a 2018 action-adventure game developed and published by Rockstar Games. The game is the third entry in the ''Red Dead'' series and a prequel to the 2010 game ''Red Dead Redemption''. The story is set in a fictiona ...
'', and ''
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' is a 2018 crossover fighting game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series, succeeding ' ...
''. Despite ''Black Ops 4'' becoming the second best-selling title of 2018, Activision announced in February 2019 that the game did not meet their sales expectations. After the backlash from fans over the lack of a campaign, Activision announced the next day that the next ''Call of Duty'' title would include a single-player campaign.


Accolades


Notes


References


External links

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