Everything we know about Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, launching November 13th
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The game will feature the return of fan favorite characters and a Zombies mode
By [Nick Statt][68][@nickstatt][69] Aug 26, 2020, 1:45pm EDT
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Activision's next Call of Duty _installment, [confirmed last week to be a revival of developer Treyarch's fan-favorite _Black Ops _series][78], will have its work cut out for it. The title is following last year's _Modern Warfare, the most successful COD game in the franchise's history, and in doing so it has to slot into Activision's ever-evolving free-to-play battle royale _Warzone _while also bridging the divide between current and next-gen consoles.
But the teams at game studio Treyarch, a longtime _COD _developer, and fellow Activision subsidiary Raven Software, have conceived what sounds like a pretty ambitious plan — and if they pull it off, the immense momentum _Modern Warfare _built for the long-running first-person shooter franchise may very well continue years into the future.
Black Ops Cold War brings back characters Woods, Mason, and Hudson
In a briefing with press earlier this month, studio representatives walked us through how Black Ops Cold War _will be structured. It will have a flashy, Hollywood-style single-player campaign, reminiscent of last year's _Modern Warfare reboot. There will also be the series' signature multiplayer modes, redesigned and tweaked to give Treyarch and Raven room to build on what Infinity Ward created, alongside revived Zombies mode. And all of it will be connected through Warzone, which will live on for existing COD players and link together with those that pick up Black Ops Cold War, regardless of what platform they decide to play it on.
_Black Ops Cold War _is set to launch on November 13th for current-gen devices, Activision is announcing today, with confirmed versions for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X coming "Holiday 2020." The company is also selling a $69.99 "cross-gen bundle" — $10 more than the standard version — with access to a version of the game on PS4 / PS5 and Xbox One / Xbox Series X.
Here's a full rundown of what we know now.
![null][79] Image: Activision
The single-player campaign
Much like how last year's Modern Warfare reboot revived iconic characters from Infinity Ward's popular _COD _trilogy like Captain John Price, _Black Ops Cold War _will do the same with characters Alex Woods, Frank Mason and Jason Hudson, all central players in the original _Black Ops _that first released in 2010. This time around, however, the game will feature real historical figures — including President Ronald Reagan — in cutscenes and other narrative worldbuilding.
The storyline picks up in the middle of the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union in the 1980s, as the player is tasked with hunting down a newly reactive Soviet spy known only as "Perseus," based on the real-life codename and backstory of a potential Soviet spy thought to have infiltrated the US government.
![null][80] Image: Activision
Multiplayer & Zombies
Not much is yet known about Black Ops Cold War's various multiplayer changes, but Activision did confirm a number of details regarding how progression and cross-platform play will work. For one, the game will feature cross-play not just across platforms as last year's installment first introduced, but across generations, too. That means players on Xbox One should be able to play with those on PS5, and players on Xbox Series X should be able to play with those on PS4 (as well as all the other various combinations involved).
There will of course be a seasonal battle pass, like most shooters and battle royale games now have. But a unique benefit for Black Ops Cold War _will be shared progression with _Warzone and the ability to keep _Modern Warfare _content, like skins (or "operators" in _COD _parlance) and weapon blueprints, when you transition your account over to the new game. That's a huge plus for players that invest heavily in each new _COD _installment only to have to abandon those unlockable items and other cosmetics when a new game rolls around the following fall. A full multiplayer reveal is scheduled for September 9th, Activision says.
And, finally, Treyarch and Raven are promising a return of Zombies, the massively popular COD horde mode that first arrived with Treyarch's _World at War _in 2008. Neither the studios nor Activision is sharing anything substantial about the Zombies mode today, with plans to reveal more about it at a later date closer to release.
![null][81] Image: Activision
Warzone
Warzone is the most important new variable Activision and its studios have to contend with with the launch of a new COD _game this fall. The publisher has promised _Warzone would continue to live on and incorporate new features and content from new _COD _entries well into the future, and it's imperative Activision get this right if it wants _Warzone _to continue being a hugely successful pillar of the franchise.
Activision isn't yet sharing how Warzone will remain playable both for free-to-play players, Modern Warfare _ones, and those who buy the new _Black Ops Cold War. But the company is promising that the battle royale, which exists as a standalone title and as a separate mode with the current main _COD _game, will not drop support for any current platform.
At some point in the future, Warzone _may drop certain features that _Modern Warfare _has that _Black Ops Cold War _doesn't, and it's going to be fascinating to see how the developers manage to thread the needle when it comes to maintaining player bases across multiple games, platforms, _and _console generations. Activision is also promising "more information on _Black Ops Cold War and Warzone" at a later date.