First reported in a video by NerosCinema and then corroborated on Twitter by known insider Tom Henderson, it seems like Call of Duty: Warzone 2 – or whatever it ends up being called – will be quite different from its predecessor.

Allegedly, the game will be more similar to Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s battle royale mode Blackout than it will be to the original Warzone, with Henderson also stating on Twitter, “The new Warzone 2 map looks more like Blackout than it does Warzone in terms of its layout.”

The new map, interestingly, will feature many locations from across the series, according to the leak, with one of them being Highrise from the original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The video claims, however, that Warzone’s Verdansk will also eventually return.

Other mechanics in the game will also allegedly be similar to Blackout. For instance, players will need to have a satchel equipped for armour. There will apparently also be a new inventory system in place, which will limit the number of weapons and equipment that a player can carry.

Warzone 2 will allegedly also make major changes to how loadouts are handled. Loadouts will be placed inside of points of interest scattered throughout the map called Strongholds. To get to the loadouts, players will have to complete objectives specific to that Stronghold, such as defusing a bomb, killing an AI enemy, and more.

It’s also been claimed that the game will feature a firing range, where players will be able to check the weapon stats for things such as damage, range, recoil, and more. Other details mentioned in the video are the return of pro perks, and weapons once again having five attachment slots instead of eight.

Of course, official details on Warzone 2 remain scant. Infinity Ward has confirmed that it’s being built on a new engine (same as Modern Warfare 2), while previous reports have claimed that it won’t be cross-gen and will release only for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.

Activision has said that Warzone 2 will be unveiled sometime later this year, so we’ll hopefully know more about the game in the not-too-distant future.

I'm not going to beat around the bush, but a lot of this is true.

I'm assuming there are some discrepancies because the source can't remember exact details… But yeah, leak overload inbound, it seems.https://t.co/MaVyUEWBch

— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) May 17, 2022

To be honest, the new Warzone 2 map looks more like Blackout than it does Warzone in terms of its layout.

It's going to be interesting to see how all of this plays out.

— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) May 18, 2022

July’s titles will replace Star Wars: Squadrons and Operation Tango, which will continue to be available to users until July 6th. June’s other free title, Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown, will continue to be free until August 2nd, along with July’s other PlayStation Plus titles.

It’s an impressive lineup for PlayStation fans, offering one of the most popular shooters around in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, an excellent fighting game, a surprisingly good arcade-style wrestling brawler, and one of the best narrative titles of 2019, which will see a higher framerate, better resolution, and faster loading times on PS5.

All told, there’s plenty to be excited about if you’re a PlayStation Plus subscriber in July. Just make sure you grab Star Wars: Squadrons and Operation Tango before they’re gone, if you haven’t already.

Sony’s first party has finally come into its own this generation, with games that not only get excellent critical reception, but also sell exceedingly well. Recently, NPD analyst Mat Piscatella shared charts for the best-selling exclusives and the best-selling games on the PS4 in the US to date, and they’re evidence of just how well Sony exclusives have been selling this generation.

Marvel’s Spider-Man is, unsurprisingly, the best selling PS4 exclusive in the US to date, and is followed by God of War and Horizon: Zero Dawn. At last count, Spider-Man’s worldwide sales stood at 13.2 million, God of War had crossed the 10 million mark, as had Horizon: Zero Dawn. What’s surprising is that each of these three has managed to outsell Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. Also in the charts is Days Gone, coming in just below Bloodborne, having managed to sell very well in spite of lukewarm reception upon launch.

Piscatella also shared the charts for the best-selling PS4 games in the US (multiplatform titles and exclusives combined), and there are no surprises in here. Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 are the top two best-selling games, followed by Call of Duty WW2 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. In fact, there are four Call of Duty games in the top 10, while Marvel’s Spider-Man is placed 6th, nesting between Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. Following that is God of War.

Take a look at the full charts below, and do keep in mind that these are based on dollar sales (which means they’re based on revenue, rather than units sold), and they’re for the US only.

To celebrate the latest #StateofPlay here are the PlayStation 4's top 10 best-selling games, both all games and exclusives only. Source: The NPD Group pic.twitter.com/PFRxm3ZNWw

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) September 24, 2019

Treyarch has addressed Kotaku’s story on the harsh development for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 via an internal email to its staff. This was obtained by Kotaku and saw studio heads Dan Bunting and Mark Gordon talking about how, “We take the well-being of every single individual working here very seriously.”

“We have a vision for the future of this studio that includes significant improvements to work/life balance, and we plan to achieve that through better project planning, streamlined production processes, and rigorous decision-making timelines. It is also our intention to maintain our commitment to increased transparency,” the email states.

Achieving this will “require time, hard work, and commitment — most of all, it will require open communication. If you ever feel like your needs aren’t being met, please do not hesitate to communicate actively with your manager. No one should ever feel like they don’t have options, can’t talk openly, or that the only choice is to take their concerns to the public.”

“These conversations should always start with an honest dialogue with your department manager, and if that’s not working, feel free to reach out to one of us.

“Game development is a wildly complex art and it requires a diverse set of people and skill sets to do it successfully. It’s important for all of us to foster a studio culture that treats all team members with respect. We appreciate the contributions made by all parts of the team in the name of the games we make.”

That last part is interesting given the reports of poor treatment that Q&A testers receiving during development. Many reported working long hours for months on end while being discouraged from associating with members of the development team. Crunch was a big factor in the development of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, especially when the campaign – originally envisioned as a 2v2 multiplayer mode – was scrapped for a traditional solo story mode.

That would also be canceled for the sake of implementing Blackout, a battle royale mode. Of course, Treyarch had limited time to complete that as well with sources claiming it was a “miracle” that it all came together. In the meantime, reports have even circulating regarding Treyarch heading development of Call of Duty 2020, which is apparently Black Ops 5. Time will tell whether studio culture improves especially with what seems to be another long year of crunch ahead for the studio.

Kotaku’s Jason Schreier has published a new story on Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. Though it roped in $500 million within three days of launch, the title has been the subject of controversy especially with regards to monetization. However, Schreier’s report highlighted crunch issues, unequal treatment for testers and contractors and other controversial creative decisions during development.

Last year, a report did the rounds about Activision cancelling the campaign for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 due to dissatisfaction. One rumour from a former tester indicated that a co-op campaign mode was in the works. Sure enough, Schreier’s report confirms that a 2v2 multiplayer-focused mode (though bots could take the place of real players) was in development. Various objectives like assassinating or protecting a target along with different factions would have factored in.

Interestingly, a lot of work had already been done – a few missions were already working with “full art and voice acting” before the Holidays. One source states that, “Everyone crunches really hard to get that done, and we do. We go to the holiday party in Las Vegas. The studio heads come up and say, ‘Hey guys you did a fantastic job, everyone’s really excited.’”

However, upon returning from vacation in 2018, studio heads informed staff that the 2v2 campaign was being canceled for the sake of a solo campaign. Unfortunately, this was also canned with Treyarch focusing on adding battle royale with Blackout. One developer noted that, “Now we have an even shorter amount of time to put in work on a new mode. Actual development work on Blackout didn’t start until nine months before launch. That mode came together by the seat of its pants. It’s kind of a miracle that it did.”

The entire story is worth a ready, especially with regards to how poorly Treyarch treated testers and contractors (from long working hours for meager pay to being discouraged from speaking to developers). Meanwhile, Treyarch is reportedly in charge of the next Call of Duty, which is Black Ops 5, following troubles between Sledgehammer Games and Raven Software.

Eyes are on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare which looks to be changing up the franchise in big ways, but it’s not the only game in the series getting something new. The current running game in the franchise, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, is getting a new big update for the Summer. Activision released a trailer for the game’s Days of Summer content.

You can check out the cheeky trailer below. In it the new Ground War is shown, a mode that will take place within Blackout, promising the biggest battles in Call of Duty history. It was also come with a remake of the Grind map, new weapons and what looks to be a host of new summer themed costumes and accessories from surfboards to flotation devices.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. You can check out the trailer below. The content is live now on PS4, with other versions getting the update at a later date.

A lot of eyes are on the next installment of the annual shooter series, Call of Duty. We know the reveal for the 2019 edition is coming soon, with several bits of rumors and hints that Infinity Ward will return to the Modern Warfare subset of the series that helped launch it into a yearly behemoth. But before that, the 2018 edition, Black Ops 4, is still very much going strong, and today it’ll get a returning map in Blackout mode.

While the game has gotten a returning Specialist in Spectre, it’s not the only thing coming back. Last week, with no real fanfare or acknowledgement, the Alcatraz map was removed from the Blackout mode, COD’s take on battle royale. It was a strange decision, as the map had only released at the beginning of April, making many wonder what happened. Regardless of whether it was technical issues or something else, as you can see from the game’s official Twitter below, the map will return today on all platforms, with all the previous PS4 exclusive content from last week added to the Xbox One and PC as well.

Call of Duty Black Ops 4 is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. The latest update is live now across all platforms, and for a limited time, a starter edition of the game is available through the monthly Humble Bundle package.

This week in #BlackOps4:

• Spectre (Xbox One/PC)

• “Wetworks” map update + Bounty Hunter in Blackout (Xbox One/PC)

• "Super Blood Wolf Moon" Gauntlet in Zombies (Xbox One/PC)

• Alcatraz returns to Blackout May 7 on all platforms

• Prop Hunt arrives May 10 (Xbox One/PC) pic.twitter.com/TC6j5mB4iR

— Treyarch Studios (@Treyarch) May 6, 2019

If you needed any incentive to hop into Treyarch’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, then the new Humble Monthly has you covered. Humble Bundle’s monthly subscription service offers a bevy of games for $12 each month, and the first game for June has been revealed. It’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Battle Edition.

Though it only includes Blackout and multiplayer (no Zombies), the Battle Edition still retails for $40 standalone. Receiving it for $12, along with some other games, is a pretty good discount. It also comes with some digital items, like a Black Ops Outfit for all the Specialists, a Calling Card, Emblem, Sticker, Tag, and the iconic Sitting Bull gesture.

Keep in mind that the other games will be revealed in the coming weeks. If you’re only interested in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, you can receive it immediately upon subscribing. And don’t worry – you can cancel before the next Humble Monthly if next month’s offerings don’t interest you.

Now might be the best time to check out Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. A new Specialist called Spectre was added, along with Prop Hunt and new Black Ops Pass maps.

While we wait for more details about 2019’s entry in the annual Call of Duty series, 2018’s Black Ops 4 is continuing its updates, with the newest one, 1.17, live now. The primary additions of this update are the new Specialist, which they teased at the end of last month, maps, and Zombie mode gauntlets.

Detailed via Reddit, you can see a partial list of the patch notes below. The main new feature is the addition of Spectre, a Specialist returning from Black Ops 3. Multiplayer maps Masquerade, Artifact, and WMD have been added. Blackout map, Wetworks, update is live, flooding several areas on it to change things up. In regards to Zombies, a new Gauntlet comes with the update, Super Blood Wolf Moon. Some of the updates are available first on PS4 (they are specified in the notes).

Call of Duty Black Ops 4 is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. The update is live now on all platforms, with the PS4 exclusive content coming at a later date to the other platforms.

PATCH NOTES:

Multiplayer

• New Specialist: Spectre
• Black Ops Pass Multiplayer maps:
  • Masquerade
  • Artifact
  • WMD
• New Game Mode: Prop Hunt (arriving Friday, May 3rd)
• Tuning changes for SMGs, Specialist, and Scorestreaks.

Blackout

• New Map Updates:
  • Wetworks: Hydro Dam has been sabotaged and the map has flooded
  • Alcatraz: Improvements to gameplay flow and layout
• New Game Mode: Bounty Hunter
• New Equipment: DART

Zombies

• New Gauntlet: “Super Blood Wolf Moon”
• New Mystery Box Weapon: Tigershark LMG
• New Feature: Classic Elixir Restock

Global

• New Customization Items:
  • Death Effects
  • Weapon Charms
• New Weapons:
  • Tigershark LMG
  • Nifo’Oti Melee Weapon
• New Mastercrafts, MKIIs & Camos
• New Specialist Outfits, War Paints, Gestures & Jump Packs

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is an interesting title for the franchise. It’s the first Call of Duty to not have a traditional story campaign, and the first in the series to have a battle royale mode, marking it as a very different experience in a lot of ways for the annual series. One way it doesn’t differ, however, is a continued stream of support for the game (at least until the next year’s version, which we should be hearing about pretty soon)- and it looks like Treyarch are now teasing something new for next week, with many believing it’s a new Specialist.

As you can see through their official Twitter below, the official CoD account has posted an enigmatic clip. It doesn’t say much outside the fact that something is coming on April 30^th. Many are speculating that it’s Spectre, one of the Specialists from Black Ops 3. You can briefly see the back of the character’s head, and the helmet bares a resemblance to Spectre’s. It’s not a confirmation, but it seems like a distinct possibility.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Whatever content this is will be available on April 30^th on PlayStation 4, and a later date on other platforms.

https://twitter.com/CallofDuty/status/1121459807360143361