Earlier today, EA unveiled Battlefield V’s Firestorm battle royale mode, and now Activision, in conjunction with Game Informer, have launched a volley of information regarding Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s Blackout battle royale mode. We now know many players Blackout mode supports, which vehicles will be included, how zombies are being integrated, and more.
Contrary to previous reports, Blackout will only support 80 players at once, which is better than Firestorm’s 64 players, but still short of PUBG and Fortnite’s nice round 100. Blackout’s player count could increase post launch, but it will be 80 for the upcoming beta and likely stay at that level for launch. Treyarch studio head Dan Bunting explained the decision to not go for the full 100…
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“What’s really more important to us than a number is that the gameplay experience is as refined as it can be, that’s it the ideal perfect format for what players are going to play. So, we’re starting with 80 players, but we’ve gone higher than that. Whenever we launch a game as a beta or whatever, that’s the beginning of something. We’re going to actively be participating in the community and taking feedback, making changes and adapting, evolving the game as feedback rolls in. So there’s a lot that can go on that can happen beyond that first impact of the game going out there.”
As mentioned, Blackout will also include AI-controlled zombies, which will wander certain sections of the map. The walkers will be both a threat and, potentially, a tool you can use against your enemies. Meanwhile, here’s a list of the vehicles included in Blackout:
Land
- Cargo Truck (holds one driver, four passengers)
- ATV (one driver, one passenger)
Sea
- Zodiac Inflatable Boat (one pilot, three passengers)
Air
- Little Bird Helicopter (one pilot, four passengers)
Finally, as has become tradition, Game Informer subjected Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 design director David Vonderhaar to 195 rapid-fire questions about Blackout mode. As usual, most of the questions were silly, but a few interesting tidbits were revealed, such as:
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- Blackout won’t have custom games “as you think about them.”
- They’re testing split-screen now. It’s very feasible.
- Multiple Blackout maps are possible, but it won’t happen soon.
- Many more Blackout characters coming post-launch. Easily dozens.
- Not ruling out cameos from non-Treyarch Call of Duty games.
- No platform-exclusive content.
- Won’t lock characters behind limited-time events. Some events may make it easier to get certain characters though.
- Can’t pick up clothing and cosmetic items for characters inside the world.
- You unlock characters by doing character-specific missions and generally progressing the game.
- You can trade items or steal them from somebody you killed. Can even steal quest items.
- Zombies spawn at several “zombie destinations,” which are marked by a ray of light.
- No third-person mode.
- Blackout being sold as a standalone game would be “interesting.”
- The safe circle is “largely random,” although there are some limits.
- There are no benefits to using a specific character.
- There are new Blackout-specific characters.
- There is fall damage.
- No changing weather — sunny only.
- There’s a firing range area.
- Planning to have emotes, but they may not make launch.
- There is at least one melee weapon, mainly for use on zombies.
- Raven Software is working on Blackout.
- No headquarters to hang out in.
- Should have around 20 characters at launch.
- Aiming to have the mode run at 60fps, but it sounds like they’re not there yet.
- Blackout hitting mobile is a “good idea.”
- No crossplay.
So, what do you think? Now that you know a little bit more about Blackout mode, are you interested? Or is that 80 player limit an instant mood killer?
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 hits PC, Xbox One, and PS4 on October 12.
