With Black Ops Cold War very close on the horizon, we break down everything we know so far about the upcoming FPS title, from setting, developers, zombies, multiplayer and more.
CoD 2020 setting
First off, we’ll deal with the development team for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, because the two are essentially intertwined. Despite Call of Duty’s three-year-cycle suggesting it is the turn of Sledgehammer Games, development was was handed to veteran CoD developers Treyarch.
Following on from this, it has been confirmed that the game will be set in during the Cold War of the 1980s. This makes sense off the back of the Treyarch developed Black Ops series, the first of which is set in the Cold War. While the game is not set to be a sequel to any of the Black Ops series, it is said to tie into the series as a “soft reboot”.
Black Ops Cold War, or just Black Ops?
The game’s name is now confirmed as Black Ops Cold War, which early leaks indicated. The links to the Black Ops series appear to be hinted at in Modern Warfare, with deconstructed RC-XDs found in the Warzone map. The RC-XD is a kill-streak that has featured, in some form, in every single Black Ops game to date.
Campaign
Given the game’s setting in the Cold War, it stands that the campaign will also fit into this narrative. It says on the Black Ops site that, “…players will come face-to-face with historical figures and hard truths, as they battle around the globe through iconic locales like East Berlin, Vietnam, Turkey, Soviet KGB headquarters, and more.” The most militaristic conflict in the Cold War was the Vietnam War, which the game will revisit. It was in also featured in the original Black Ops.
Zombies
Details about the next Call of Duty’s Zombies mode indicate that this iteration’s mode is likely to be the most terrifying yet. A co-op mode, new ways that allow players to progress are included, such as perks and weaponry from the Cold War era that are sure to spark up a whole load of adrenaline for those who choose to partake in the mode.
Squads in Zombies are a feature, bringing cross-play to the mode for the first time in history. This will be an exciting feature for many who have friends across multiple platforms that wish to embark on a zombie killing spree together.
The mode will also allow players to progress through the Battle Pass, giving players a new way to tier up through content. Weapons have a rarity to them, meaning greater damage for those extra special finds.
Multiplayer
The game’s multiplayer, similar to the campaign looks to be a fantastic experience when players jump in on release day. There are new additions such as automatic healing, grounded operator movement and other new systems that will add to the immersion and high-quality content we have all come to expect with Call of Duty iterations.
One of the few things that hasn’t change is that there will still be no jet-packs in this year’s game. It certainly seems obvious now given the setting, but David Vonderhaar actually confirmed this back in January, prior to the circulation of any rumors.
The RC-XD in Warzone also appears to hint at scorestreaks of a similar nature to the first Black Ops game. Leakers have also suggested that a host of fan-favourites will return to the series.
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Custom Classes?
Create-a-class is also returning, allowing you greater control in how you want your operator to function out on the field, with field upgrades such as advanced munitions to take down your opposition.
Battle Royale?
Call of Duty developers have already commented that Warzone will remain a constant throughout the next few years, acting as a “thread” to link the different games together.
These links are been cemented by YouTuber TheXclusiveAce, who states that Warzone will be the main battle royale for Cold War. This appears to have quashed rumors that Black Ops 4’s Blackout would make a meaningful return.
‘The Red Door’
‘The Red Door’ is the label that appeared for an internal Alpha test relating to Call of Duty 2020, back on June 10.
That codename has now appeared again as a July 15 public listing was spotted on the Xbox Live store. While it’s purely a codename for now, the store page came fit with key art, a full description, and even allowed users to redeem a code for early access.
It’s not currently clear how ‘The Red Door’ ties into CoD 2020. A code name seems the most likely answer at this early stage, but we may be closer to a release than first thought.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War releases on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series S and Series X , Xbox One and Microsoft Windows November 13, 2020.
That rounds up everything we know about Call of Duty 2020 so far! We will continue to update you on new developments as they emerge.