Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4's Battle Royale Mode, Blackout, Revealed

After much teasing and speculation, Activision finally pulled back the curtain on this year's highly anticipated Call of Duty game, Black Ops 4. Like previous entries in the series, Black Ops 4 includes a variety of different game modes, such as the ever-popular Zombies, but this year's installment will also feature its own take on the battle royale genre.

Dubbed Blackout, the new battle royale-style mode pits players against each other in a fight to be the last one standing. On the official Call of Duty website, Activision revealed that Blackout will be playable solo or in teams, just as Fortnite and PUBG. Where it differs from other battle royale games, however, is that it draws heavily on previous Black Ops titles. Developer Treyarch says it wanted to create a battle royale mode "the Black Ops way," and to that end, it has incorporated elements from the entire series into the mode.

According to Treyarch, the map in Blackout is the biggest one the developer has ever created. Some of its locations are old maps taken directly from past entries, and players can use weapons and items from every previous Black Ops game, including the RC car. The map also features land, air, and sea vehicles, and players can play as Hudson, Reznov, Mason, and other characters from the series. However, Treyarch says it is still undecided on the number of players Blackout will support.

Activision announced a ton of new details about Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 during this week's special reveal event. Along with Blackout, the publisher talked a lot about the new Zombies campaign, which is set across three unique maps at launch and places a stronger emphasis on mystery. Activision also revealed that Black Ops 4 won't have a traditional single-player campaign; rather, the game will feature solo missions that focus on each of its Specialist characters.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 launches for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on October 12--nearly a month earlier than Call of Duty games typically launch. The PC version will be available exclusively via Blizzard's Battle.net service. Activision will hold a beta for Black Ops 4 ahead of its launch later this year, although exact details on that will be announced at a later date.