Activision has launched a new version of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 called "Battle Edition." The new variant strips out certain parts of the game and slashes the cost, giving players only interested in select modes the opportunity to get the title at a reduced price. Unlike the regular Black Ops 4 game, Battle Edition only features battle royale and multiplayer modes.
Blizzcon just happened last week and, unsurprisingly, much of the focus was on the company’s biggest money-maker, Overwatch. And there was also that mobile Diablo game announcement that isn’t sitting too well with some Diablo fans. One unexpected news that came out of the weekend was about Destiny 2 on the PC. No, Bungie is still the game’s developers and owners but it has teamed up with Blizzard parent company Activision to offer the base game for free if you grab it before next Sunday.
Ever since Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 launched last week, Activision and Treyarch have been supporting the game with a series of rapid-fire updates. Generally, these updates are pretty small, making some slight tweaks to each of the game's modes - Blackout battle royale, standard multiplayer, and Zombies. The most recent update was no different in that regard, but the tweaks it made to Blackout could have some big implications for the mode.
It's a big year for the Call of Duty series, as 2018's entry will bring about some big firsts. Black Ops 4 is dropping the traditional single-player campaign - a first for the mainline series - and in its place will be a new battle royale mode called Blackout. Many of us, of course, expected Call of Duty and Battlefield to both get battle royale modes this year, given the meteoric rise of the genre over the past year-and-a-half or so.
Gamescom is one of the best opportunities developers and publishers will have all year to show off their upcoming games, and From Software clearly doesn't want to waste it. Today, along with Activision, From Software gave us our first look at gameplay for its upcoming title, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. There's a lot of anticipation behind this title, mostly because it's one of the first From Software is focusing on after wrapping up the Dark Souls trilogy.
It looks like you Spyro fans are going to have to wait a little longer to revisit the original trilogy. Originally scheduled to launch next month, developer Toys for Bob and publisher Activision have announced that the Spyro Reignited Trilogy has been delayed. The good news is that it'll still be out before the end of the year, so the delay isn't a terribly long one.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is shaping up to offer an experience that's mostly similar to previous installments in the sub-series, save for one key difference. For the first time in Call of Duty history, Black Ops 4 won't have a single-player campaign. Instead, it'll offer up a battle royale mode called Blackout.
Can't wait for the latest installment in the wildly successful Call of Duty franchise? Though Black Ops 4 won't be released until October, some lucky fans get early access via the game beta, the codes for which are rolling out now. Activision has announced their launch, explaining that PlayStation 4 owners should receive them in an email. Xbox One and PC players will have to wait.
We still have a while to wait before Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 launches, but eager fans are going to get something to sate their eagerness later this week. Activision and Treyarch are planning to launch a multiplayer test on August 3, but before that goes live, the two companies have delivered a launch trailer to try to tempt out a few last minute pre-orders. While the trailer largely takes us through things we already know, it does offer a brief glimpse at Blackout, Black Ops 4's battle royale mode.
These days, every big-name video game franchise sees special and collector's editions for their titles, and the Call of Duty series is a shinning example. But for this year's release of Black Ops 4, publisher Activision has taken things well beyond including the yearly season pass and other digital goodies. They've just announced the super special Black Ops 4 Mystery Box Edition at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, and it comes in an actual, creepy skeleton-themed box.
Following the popularity of Black Ops 2 and 3, it's safe to say that a lot of Call of Duty are excited for Black Ops 4. As is usually the case for these Call of Duty games, there will be a beta test that allows fans to get an early look at Black Ops 4 before it launches later this year. Activision and Treyarch are shaking things up a little bit, announcing today that they'll actually be holding two betas - a private multiplayer one and another that centered around the game's Blackout mode.
Just when you thought first person shooters had no surprises left, along comes Activision Blizzard's Overwatch. Now one of its most prized brands, Activision Blizzard is now reaching out to partners at the Licensing Expo 2018 to help raise awareness, and profits, around Overwatch by putting it into more products, even those remotely related to gaming. And, of course, that's just the tip of the franchising iceberg that includes World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, and even Spyro.