Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 won’t include a traditional campaign mode when it launches in October, but in its place will be the series’ take on battle royale, dubbed “Blackout.” Thus far, we haven’t seen the mode in action, but a trailer for the upcoming beta test offered us our first taste.
Near the end of the multiplayer beta trailer post on the Call of Duty YouTube channel, we see a grounded helicopter surrounded by several soldiers. The camera then cuts to the helicopter soaring through the air with a number of enemies below, one of whom kills a passenger with a single shot from a sniper rifle. The helicopter briefly veers off-course before the remaining occupants start firing on the vehicles below. It looks like the helicopter might escape, but a well-placed rocket appears to throw a wrench in that plan.
The first multiplayer beta test for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 begins on August 3, and it will be limited to PlayStation 4 players who pre-ordered the game. A second test on August 10 will also include Xbox One players, and the PC version will receive a concurrent beta test on Battle.net. These tests will include access to modes like Team Deathmatch and Hardpoint, but Blackout won’t be available to play until a separate beta in September.
Black Ops 4 will include classic series characters in Blackout, which could convince former players to return to Call of Duty. It isn’t the only big-name first-person shooter including a battle royale mode, however, as Battlefield V is planning to include one in a post-launch update. Unlike Black Ops 4, however, Battlefield V will still include a campaign mode, and doesn’t appear to be focusing on zombies.
If you are interested in zombies, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 will be right up your alley. Three separate undead campaigns will be included at launch, and they go to some places the series has never ventured before, including Ancient Rome and the Titanic.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 launches for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on October 12 — nearly a month ahead of when the series generally releases new installments.
