'Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4' Sets Sights On 'Fortnite' With Multiplayer Mode

The new Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 trailer is out and people are getting very, very excited. One of the big revelations of the new game is the jettisoning of the single-player campaign mode in favour of a battle royale mode that seems to directly target the likes of Fortnite.

The game was launched at an event in Los Angeles last night and promised a serious revamp to the now 15-year-old CoD series, which had previously prided itself on the depth of its campaign mode.

The realism that defined previous efforts - and which the last iteration of Black Ops departed from - will return, with features such as jetpacks and wall-running eliminated in favour of more authentic fighting.

The campaign mode goes, leaving the standard multiplayer, the ever-popular Zombie mode and a mode called 'Blackout', which nods to games such as Fortnite with massive multiplayer features - think 100-plus players at a time and maps that are over a thousand times bigger than any seen in CoD before.

In the blurb accompanying the trailer, Activision says the new game promises "Black Ops' signature fast, fluid, guns-up combat, with fierce new levels of survival competition across iconic Black Ops settings reimagined at a colossal scale."

Dan Bunting, joint head of production company Treyarch, added: "When I first started on multiplayer in the Call of Duty franchise, 10 percent of our population was playing competitive multiplayer.

"Fast forward to 2015 or 2016, you're looking at 90 percent of our players are playing multiplayer... If you look at it through that lens, and trying to deliver more for your players and how you're playing the game, it's a pretty easy decision."

There had been concerns among the fanbase from old-school gamers who loved the campaign modes, but after the release, plenty have come out in favour of the decision to go fully multiplayer.

"BLACK OPS 4 LOOKS AMAZING!! @Treyarch KILLED IT AS ALWAYS. Don't worry boys...the nonstop Fortnite is guaranteed to stop October 12th. Gonna play the shit out of BO4!" wrote one.

Meanwhile, another added: "Black ops 4 has potential to be the epitomy of gaming. Combining Black ops 1, 2, 3, PUBG/Fortnite, Battlefield 1/4, R6S, and Black ops 2 and 3 style zombies. I think it could be the game changer we all have been looking for!"

Brace yourselves, everyone. This looks like it could be one hell of a game.

Featured Image Credit: Activision

Topics: GAMING, Entertainment, Call of Duty

Mike Wood

Mike Meehall Wood is a freelance journalist and translator. He writes for LADbible, VICE and countless sports publications, focusing on rugby league, football and boxing. He is a graduate of Leeds University and maintains a fizzy pop obsession. Contact Mike at [email protected]