When you’ve made some of the biggest games on the planet, juggling budgets of millions of dollars and selling millions of copies, what comes next?
]]>David Vonderhaar, longtime Call of Duty lead, has announced he has left Activision and Treyarch.
]]>Large numbers of players are swarming back to older Call of Duty games on Xbox 360 thanks to a recent update.
As spotted last week by Twitter user ZekcoFS, an update arrived for a number of older Call of Duty titles that fixed matchmaking. This included classics such Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Modern Warfare 2, Modern Warfare 3, and Black Ops 2. Now, it seems that quite a large number of players are returning to the games. As reported by CharlieIntel, Black Ops 2 managed to hit more than 10,000 players over the weekend on Xbox 360, and Modern Warfare 3 had over 7000 players, significant numbers for some now quite old games.
Prior to this apparent fix, anyone that tried to play a match of one of the older Call of Duty titles on Xbox 360 wouldn't be able to due to a supposed lack of players. This didn't make much sense, though, as certain game modes only needed as few as eight players, so it being completely impossible was odd. These older Call of Duty games are quite nostalgic for a lot of players, so it isn't a big surprise that they're getting a lot of players again, especially because they're backwards compatible on the Xbox Series X.
Currently what isn't clear is if a fix is coming for PS3 or PC players, both of which still seem to be experiencing problems. As it stands, it doesn't seem like a fix has been provided for either platform, so it's mostly just Xbox players that get to revisit the older games.
Call of Duty Twitch streamer ModernWarzone also made the claim that there were more people playing these old Call of Duty games over the weekend than there were playing Halo Infinite and Battlefield 2042 put together, though from our end it's difficult to determine what the player counts for each game are.
Over the weekend, Microsoft also announced that PlayStation finally agreed to a deal on Call of Duty, guaranteeing the games will stay on the latter for the time being.
]]>Sony has confirmed July's PlayStation Plus Essential games, and they include Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Alan Wake: Remastered, and Endling: Extinction is Forever.
]]>Remember Call of Duty: Black Ops, the military First Person Shooter released from the clattering cages over at Raven Software and Treyarch all the way back in 2010. For some, it stays a fan-favourite for those with a taste for a touch of retro Call of Duty action, general nostalgia, or the heyday of trick shots with a variety of sniper rifles and of course the trusty grenade launcher.
]]>Intel — in the form of artifacts, documents, and audio logs — is becoming a staple of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Call of Duty: Warzone. Part Easter Egg, part teaser for future updates, these collectables help to flesh out the world of CoD.
]]>Zombies in Call of Duty's new Outbreak mode are a varied bunch.
]]>Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War's new Outbreak mode sees you once again facing off against a zombie threat.
Before you travel to the Ural Mountains and begin your investigations into the Dark Aether, you'll want to take some time to plan your loadout for the mission.
]]>Easter Eggs are a staple of the Call of Duty series, and Black Ops Cold War and Warzone are no exception.
While it sounds like we're going to be waiting until Season 3 for the next main Easter Egg, there's at least one small surprise to be found in Season 2's Outbreak mode.
]]>Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Call of Duty: Warzone have now received a full Season 2 content update to their shared battlepass.
The new season brings with it a variety of new maps and modes, the highlight of which is Outbreak.
]]>Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Call of Duty: Warzone are now in their second season.
Most of the new content is accessed via the shared battlepass, including full access to the Outbreak zombies mode.
]]>Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Call of Duty: Warzone are now into their second season, and there are certainly a lot of new features to unpack.
]]>Treyarch and Activision have released a gameplay trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War that shows off Outbreak – the open-world Zombies experience.
]]>Any progress you make will carry over to the full version of the game if you decide to splash your cash.
]]>The cause of death is not known at the time of writing.
]]>If you've wandered into the Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War alpha on PS4 this weekend, chances are you've been killed by a sniper.
]]>The Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War campaign trailer was revealed today, and more information on what to expect from it has surfaced.
]]>A new Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War trailer was released just prior to the weekend, but has since been banned in China due to its inclusion of footage from the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.
]]>The most reliable information we've got about a release date for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War comes from a literal bag of Doritos.
]]>Dataminers have grabbed the latest Call of Duty 2020 leak and pulled it apart to reveal details of the maps, multiplayer, zombies and campaign in the rumoured Black Ops game.
]]>It looks like Call of Duty 2020 will be part of the Black Ops universe, and the setting is Vietnam, according to today's rumors.
]]>What contrary instinct compels us to do the opposite of what we are told? That rogue element of human nature, which makes life difficult for cops and teachers? Whatever its function, it kicked in while I was crawling through the trenches.
]]>The original Call of Duty: Black Ops has run into issues over the past few days on Steam, but things have returned to normal.
]]>Treyarch has announced the next operation for Black Ops 4, rolling out tomorrow on PS4, with new modes, weapons, maps, and Spectre Specialist.
]]>Drop into the Blackout map and you'll find an abundance of weapons and other gear to help you survive in Call of Duty's new battle royale mode.
]]>Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is out in the wild and there are a lot of questions floating around. We're here to help.
]]>Treyarch's decision to avoid a standard Black Ops 4 campaign is credited to its "culture of adaptation".
]]>Blackout will start with 80 simultaneous players when Black Ops 4 launches, but Treyarch is considering more.
]]>Here's a new Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 trailer focusing on the Zombies experience.
]]>Series founder Infinity Ward may be working on a next-gen Call of Duty game that restores the traditional single-player campaign.
]]>The Black Ops 4 bonus level "Classified" may be a homage to a classic Call of Duty zombies map.
]]>Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's special editions have been detailed along with the Zombies season pass.
]]>During a livestream today, Treyarch revealed a fourth multiplayer map for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, along with news of returning favorites.
]]>Activision, publisher of Call of Duty, is "keenly aware" of the popularity of the swelling battle royale genre.
]]>Call of Duty players are sticking to old favourites rather than rushing to embrace the newest game. Activision doesn't mind, though.
]]>A gameplay trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 - Zombies Chronicles has been released, so give it a watch.
]]>Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Zombies Chronicles is no longer a rumor. As if there was any doubt, honestly.
]]>Is Black Ops joining the list of backwards compatible games on Xbox One soon? Yes. Today as a matter of fact.
]]>This article first appeared on USgamer, a partner publication of VG247. Some content, such as this article, has been migrated to VG247 for posterity after USgamer's closure - but it has not been edited or further vetted by the VG247 team.
]]>The Black Ops 3 beta kicks off this week, so to get prepared, check out a couple of specialists and loadouts you might want to give a whirl.
]]>Black Ops 3 feels more and more like a real thing thanks to teases from Call of Duty's Snapchat account.
]]>Call of Duty developer Treyarch may be teasing the next entry in the Black Ops series.
]]>According to GfK Cart-Track, combined sales of GTA 5 will overtake that of Call of Duty: Black Ops to be come the best-selling game of all time in the UK.
]]>Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 developer Treyarch is lifting the paywall off its Revolution DLC pack this weekend, letting everyone play it for free for a few days. The game is also getting some more micro-DLC skins that will be chosen by fan vote.
]]>Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 developer Treyarch has dated its next double weapon XP event, kicking off this weekend.
]]>Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 developer Treyarch has suggested that the Call of Duty: Ghosts pre-order weapon camo may come to Black Ops 2 on PC soon.
]]>Major League Gaming’s Spring Season for Black Ops 2 is underway, and will culminate the MLG Spring Championship from June 28-30 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim. Time to get your passes to attend as a competitor or a spectator.
]]>Xbox Live's Entertainment Award winners have been announced after a few weeks of fan voting, an unfortunate site security breach and ballot-counting. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 has scooped the top award for best game.
]]>A new Black Ops 2 video has been released, featuring a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the live-action "Surprise" trailer directed by Guy Ritchie. The trailer features an all-star cast which includes Robert Downey Jr., Justine "iJustine" Ezarik, and FPS Russia. Black Ops 2 is available at retail now.
]]>Call of Duty Elite subscribers who activated their accounts on launch day, will be receiving an extra three months of service, and Activision email has stated. The extension is the firm's way of apologizing for service outages at Modern Warfare 3's launch. Initially, subscribers were to receive one moth free, but now they shall have three in total instead. Elite services will be offered for free when Black Ops 2 launches on November 13. Thanks, Shack.
]]>Black Ops: Declassified is heading to Vita later this month, and trophies for the shooter have surfaced online. If you head on over to Exophase, you can read up on the entire list. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and Declassified both release worldwide on November 13.
]]>Hurricane Sandy has disrupted some of Activision's New York-based data centers, causing issues with the online servers for a handful of the publisher's games.
]]>Call of Duty Elite will not be available for Wii U players when Black Ops 2 launches in November, Activision has confirmed to Kotaku.
]]>Black Ops 2's launch trailer, which aired tonight during the World Cup qualifier is below. Enjoy the video below. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 releases worldwide on November 13.
]]>Black Ops: Declassified on Vita will not contain zombies, according to Activision.
]]>Black Ops 2 multiplayer will be innovative without venturing too far from what makes it the "lifeblood" of the Call of Duty franchise, Treyarch boss Mark Lamia has said.
]]>Call of Duty: Black Ops will finally land on Mac next week, according to Aspyr.
]]>Black Ops - Declassified does not have Call of Duty mainstays Treyarch or Infinity Ward involved with the gameplay development of the Vita shooter, Treyarch has stated.
]]>Square-Enix has disclosed its full TGS lineup. Check out the list of games on show during its "Megatheater" presentation reel below, including Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, which Square-Enix publishes in Japan.
]]>Black Ops 2 multiplayer features, have been detailed by Treyarch in the latest One of Swords podcast.
]]>Black Ops 2 will be different from Black Ops 1, according to Treyarch studio head Mark Lamia, and he hopes gamers will be "excited by the changes," the developer has implemented into the series.
]]>Call of Duty Black Ops: Declassified is a second chance for Sony to show that Vita can support epic shooters. Alarm bells are already ringing in the ears of VG247's Dave Cook.
]]>Activision has released a new trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops II entitled "Villain Trailer". It gives you the first glimpse of Raul Menendez, "the most insidious villain in Call of Duty history," and "idolized as the heor of the 99%." Watch it below, highlighted with Reznor's score. Game's out in November on PC, PS3, and 360.
]]>Throughout July, a huge pile of Black Ops and Modern Warfare 3 DLC is on sale at 50% off. Even better, if you take the opportunity to pick up some DLC on the cheap, Activision Blizzard will send a whack of the cash to Call of Duty Endowment, a not-for-profit veteran support agency. The promotion covers PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, although please note that the sale won't arrive on the European PSN until July 4.
]]>While the world eagerly awaits the release of Black Ops II, Mac gamers will finally get their hands on the original Black Ops later this year care of Aspyr Media.
]]>The popular Call of Duty: Black Ops multiplayer map Nuketown will be returning in this year's Black Ops II with a futuristic appearance, as a limited edition inclusion.
]]>Walmart has dropped the first set of details on Black Ops: Declassified in a retail listing for the Vita title.
]]>Below the break are videos for Black Ops 2 featuring Ollie North, Wired for War author Peter Singer, and US Army Special Forces Major Alex Brown discussing the various aspects of the game's story as well as what war in the future is going "to look like," and how what "starts in our imagination can quickly end up on the battlefield." Black Ops 2 is out in November.
]]>Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 may have set a new record for the biggest entertainment launch in history, but a decline in ongoing sales has caused the title to be overtaken in life-to-date sales for the same period by series' predecessor Call of Duty: Black Ops.
]]>Call of Duty: Black Ops may have faded into the distance as people dump countless hours in Modern Warfare 3 and await the next CoD, but Black Ops Zombies on iOS is going strong. Here's the latest.
]]>It's official. Call of Duty: Black Ops has the best ending of any video game, ever.
]]>ERA’s 2011 UK Entertainment reports shows that between its release on November 8 through the end of 2011, Modern Warfare 3 moved 2,814,609 units in the region, a number which falls 451,789 copies short of its predecessor, Black Ops for the same period in 2010, when it moved 3,266,298 copies. The Call of Duty series wasn't the only franchise to note a slump compared to a previous release, as EA’s FIFA 12 sold 196,929 copies less than FIFA 11, which moved 2,193,302 units for the same period in 2010. The numbers reflect the downward trend of UK game sales, which were down 13% in 2011 year-over-year. Thanks MCV.
]]>Fusible reports the domain registration companied used by Activision Blizzard has acquire blackops2.com, the only missing entry from a spate of registrations right up to Modern Warfare 6 and Black Ops 6. Regardless of whether Treyarch has a sequel in the works for the 2010 smash hit Call of Duty: Black Ops, it makes sense for Activision to keep hold of the domains to protect its brands, so don't get too excited - yet.
]]>Battlefield 3 took fifth position in Google's annual top ten list of fastest-rising search queries, joining the likes of Steve Jobs, Google+, the iPad 2 and Rebecca Black as the year's hottest topics.
]]>Over $60,000 in prizes were awarded at the final stop on the 2011 Major League Gaming Pro Circuit - the National Championships.
]]>A list released by NPD, apparently included in Ubisoft's earnings report today, cites Call of Duty: Black Ops as selling close to 15 million copies in the US as of September 2011.
]]>Black Ops players will get Double XP this weekend, starting Friday, October 28 from 10.00am PST until Tuesday, November 1 at 10.00am PST. Also, players will unlock a Prestige Token for Modern Warfare 3 and for every Call of Duty game prestiged since the original Modern Warfare.
]]>Major League Gaming has released its viewership numbers the Orlando, Florida event and for the fourth consecutive time in a row, the viewer record has been shattered.
]]>While Gears of War 3 didn't knock Black Ops from its reigning top spot on the XBL Activity chart, it did come in second place on a list filled with plenty a Call of Duty offering. Maybe it will win out next week. Check out the rest of the list below the break. Arcade, Indie, and GFWL charts can be found over on Major Nelson's blog.
]]>A blast of piping hot news right to your face, the highlight of which is a crossover of Metal Gear Solid and the board game RISK.
]]>Activision has sent over a friendly reminder that Rezurrection, the zombie-filled DLC for Black Ops, is now available on PC. It was released via the PS Store yesterday in Europe, and is out today in the US for PS3. The DLC was originally included in the Hardened and Prestige Editions of the game, and includes the Moon level, four re-mastered levels of Zombie lore: Nacht der Untoten, Verruckt, Shi No Numa and Der Riese, the Zombie factory that started it all, an enhanced Zombies Soundtrack including three tracks never before available for purchase.
]]>Time for another round of shorts. Don't worry, this is a quickie.
]]>Last weekend's MLG Pro Circuit tournaments drew massive attention to Raleigh, where some of the world's best pro gamers battled it out for supremacy.
]]>The entire Call of Duty series is on sale for up to 50% off this weekend on Steam starting today.
]]>Black Ops map packs are selling through the roof. Also, surprise of the century, Activision is raking in money by the truckload.
]]>Forget PAX and Seattle; Raleigh in North Carolina was the place to be this weekend. Check out the action from the Major League Gaming Pro Circuit.
]]>Today's little nibbles span all five food groups - social, mobile, promotional, Japanese, and fish.
]]>Activision's released the Rezurrection map pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops on Xbox Live. The pack features four zombie maps - Nacht der Üntoten, Verrückt, Shi No Numa, Der Riese and new map Moon - that were first included in the Hardened or Prestige editions of the game last year. For those who had already purchased either edition already with the map pack, you can redownload it again to get Moon. There'll also be a double XP weekend to celebrate Rezurrection's release on CoD XP weekend between September 2-5.
]]>The Call of Duty Zombie Labs has identified you as a genuine authority on the art and science of killing zombies, and feels its recent research will prove invaluable to you. It has recently identified a rogue zombie population on the Moon - a horrific population of the angriest undead it's seen yet. Therefore, it has begun battle preparation for Lunar Deployment.
]]>GAME Australia and Turtle Beach are calling on the best Aussie Halo: Reach and Call of Duty: Black Ops teams to compete in the Battle of the Clans, with a sweet prize pool offering corporate sponsorship.
]]>Activision has released a video featuring Treyarch giving a behind-the-scenes look at the Black Ops pack, Rezurrection. The DLC was originally included in the Hardened and Prestige Editions of the game, and includes the Moon level, four re-mastered levels of Zombie lore: Nacht der Untoten, Verruckt, Shi No Numa and Der Riese, the Zombie factory that started it all, an enhanced Zombies Soundtrack including three tracks never before available for purchase. It is set for release on August 23 on Xbox Live for 1200 MS points, with PC and PS3 getting it at a later date.
]]>Major Nelson's posted the latest Xbox Live activity charts, with Black Ops heading the 360 list ahead of MW2 and Halo Reach for the week of July 25. Shocker. Ubisoft god title From Dust leads the Arcade pack from Bastion and WH40K: Kill Team, Total Miner: Forge is the leading indie game and GTA IV is the main Games for Windows title. There's more on it here.
]]>Fresh off news of more Call of Duty: Black Ops DLC, Treyarch design director David Vonderhaar has explained how the studio designs multiplayer maps.
]]>Activision Blizzard has announced better-than-expected financial results for Q2 of 2011 with $335 million in profit and net revenues of $1.1 billion, which is a 66 percent increase on Q2 2010's $967 million.
]]>Activision's announced details of a Call of Duty XP tournament happening in London on August 7. The event will consist of 32 clans fighting it out in a double-elimination qualifier at Leicester Square. The team of four who comes out trumps in the tourney will win an all-expenses paid trip to Los Angeles, where they will take part in the $1 million multiplayer tournament at Call of Duty XP in September to represent the UK. Teams will compete by playing Black Ops, whilst analysis will be offered through Call of Duty: Elite. You can sign up here.
]]>Just a quick heads up to let you all know that the Annihilation pack for Black Ops has been released for PC. It was also released on PS3 via the usual PSN update. Annihilation includes four maps: Hangar 18, Drive-In, Silo, Hazard, and the Shangri-La Zombies experience. Go get it.
]]>Activision's announced that Annihilation, the third Black Ops map pack, will launch on PC and PS3 on July 28. The pack's been available for a month now exclusively on Xbox Live as part of a three-year exclusivity deal between Microsoft and Activision. The content will contain four new competitive maps and new zombie area, Shangri-La.
]]>"You know, we're on the development side, so we don't really have much to do with the business aspect of it, but we just strive to give players the most value that we can possibly give. If you look at how many hours - in some cases, hundreds of hours - for some players of entertainment they get, I think it's an incredible value. We've had three DLC map packs for the fans within about six to seven months of launch, which is a record for us. I think it's incredible, and everyone's really excited about the fact that we can support a game for that long and keep the fans interested." - Black Ops multiplayer lead Dan Bunting to Gama on why map packs run 1200 MSP each.
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