It would appear that the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 game will not include a traditional single-player campaign. Instead, it may feature a battle royale mode that has not been seen in previous installments. It has been reported from other gaming websites that developer Treyarch has decided to scrap a campaign altogether. In doing so, Raven Software has been tasked with “filling in the gap” for this lack of content. The team ultimately settled on a battle royale mode due to its increasing popularity in the mainstream.
Activision had previously mentioned in a conference call that they planned to bring the popular game mode to Call of Duty eventually. However, it was unknown when that would be or if it would be included in this year’s installment. The company has been “keenly aware” of the growing popularity of this mode and hoped to bring it to their blockbuster franchise.
Games such as Fortnite and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds have spawned numerous copycats and have increased in popularity. Fortnite has seen a release on seemingly every available platform, except for Nintendo systems, while PUBG is on Xbox One, PC, and Mobile. Battle Royale has caught the eye of the mainstream especially when Canadian rapper, Drake, was seen on Twitch playing Fortnite with streamer, Ninja. This ended up being the most viewed stream by an individual in Twitch history.
Black Ops 4 not having a single-player campaign also comes as no shock. Activision has stated numerous times that gamers do not seem to be interested in a campaign. Often times citing the low percentage of players unlocking the achievements for simply completing later chapters in each installment. It would appear, at least to them, that gamers only want a multiplayer experience when purchasing a Call of Duty title. Not having a campaign is a drastic decision that has not been seen in the franchise yet. Depending on how this game performs and is received, players may have to expect this in upcoming multiplayer based online games.