SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mark your calendars for the return of the most played series in Call of Duty® history, because Black Ops is back! Call of Duty®: Black Ops III will arrive Friday, November 6, to take fans on a journey to the dark, twisted and gritty world of Black Ops with a true next-generation experience that redefines Call of Duty. Published by Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard (Nasdaq: ATVI), and developed by award-winning developer Treyarch, Call of Duty: Black Ops III delivers a campaign that can be played as a full single player game or co-op online with up to four players, the deepest, most rewarding multiplayer ever offered in Call of Duty, and, a mind-blowing Call of Duty Zombies experience that, for the first time, features its own XP progression system. Call of Duty: Black Ops III is in development for Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft; PlayStation® 4 computer entertainment system; and PC.
Activision and Treyarch also announced for the first time on Call of Duty next gen — a multiplayer Beta for Call of Duty: Black Ops III. Fans who pre-order the game now on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 or PC will get access to the Beta*, details for which will be announced at a later date.
“Nearly 100 million people have played Call of Duty: Black Ops and Call of Duty: Black Ops II, making it the most-played series in Call of Duty history. And those fans are about to get the best Black Ops game we’ve made yet with Call of Duty: Black Ops III,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO, Activision. “This is Treyarch’s first three-year development and, man, have they made the most of it; with a ton of innovation across all modes of play, and of course a mind-bending, wild ride of a story, Black Ops style. Our fans will get a taste for themselves with a Beta later this year. But for now, Black Ops is back.”
The Black Ops series is the most played in Call of Duty history with nearly 100 million registered players having played Call of Duty®: Black Ops and Call of Duty®: Black Ops II combined. For award-winning studio, Treyarch, this marks the first time with three years for development, which has been fully leveraged to bring the Black Ops series to next gen with Call of Duty: Black Ops III.
“Black Ops III is, without a doubt, the most ambitious project ever in the history of our studio. Since the launch of Black Ops II, we have been pushing ourselves to develop the best Call of Duty game we can for the millions of fans that continue to play our games, even to this day,” said Mark Lamia, Studio Head of Treyarch. “We’ve been taking advantage of the three-year development cycle by pushing our game design forward in every way imaginable, crafting all-new experiences, mechanics, systems and characters, all in the deepest Call of Duty that we’ve ever made. This really is like getting three games in one.”
The Call of Duty: Black Ops III campaign deploys players into a future world, where biotechnology coupled with cybernetic enhancements has given rise to a new breed of Black Ops soldier. Through Direct Neural Interface (DNI) technology, players are now connected to the intelligence grid and their fellow operatives during battle. In a world more divided than ever, this elite squad consists of men and women who have enhanced their combat capabilities to fight faster, stronger and smarter.
The most engaging and rewarding multiplayer offering to date debuts a new momentum-based, chained-movement system that allows players to move fluidly through custom-built environments with finesse, all while maintaining complete control over their weapon at all times. Treyarch also introduces its new Specialist system, which lets players choose and rank up nine elite Black Ops soldiers, each with their own look, personality, voice and battle-hardened weapons and abilities, fundamentally changing the way players engage in combat. Multiplayer is rounded out with an all-new weapon customization system that give players more powerful tools than ever to build and personalize that perfect weapon. Additional details about multiplayer will be announced at a later date.
No Treyarch title would be complete without its signature Zombies, rounding out the offering. Call of Duty: Black Ops III delivers a completely unique Zombies experience and is the most immersive and ambitious Zombies to date, complete with a new XP progression for players, adding unprecedented levels of depth and re-playability.
“Call of Duty is an entertainment juggernaut that continues to reinvent itself year after year with new storylines and exciting features,” said Bob Puzon, senior vice president of merchandising, GameStop. “We’ve been able to get an early look at Call of Duty: Black Ops III and are extremely impressed with what we’ve seen, and expect it to be a huge hit yet again.”
The Call of Duty: Black Ops III multiplayer Beta* will be available on Xbox One, PlayStation® 4 system and PC. Actual platform availability and launch date(s) to be determined. See www.callofduty.com/beta for more details and redemption instructions. After redeeming a Beta Access code, stay tuned for more detail on how and when players can access the Beta. Limited time only, while Beta codes last, at participating retailers. Internet connection is required.
For the latest intel, check out: www.callofduty.com, www.youtube.com/callofduty or follow @Treyarch and @CallofDuty on Twitter and Instagram and Facebook. Call of Duty: Black Ops III is not yet rated.
*To access multiplayer on Xbox One, Xbox Live Gold membership (sold separately) required; on PlayStation 4, PlayStation Plus (sold separately) required.
About Treyarch
Treyarch is a video game studio driven by the desire to create epic gameplay experiences that are enjoyed by as many video game fans as possible. It is an approach that has helped to make the studio an industry-leading game developer, whose Call of Duty: Black Ops II set world-wide launch day records, and whose previous game Call of Duty: Black Ops set an entertainment launch opening record upon its release in 2010 and continues to be one of the best-selling games of all time, according to NPD and GfK Chart-Track. Treyarch is a wholly owned by Activision Publishing, Inc.
About Activision Publishing, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading global producer and publisher of interactive entertainment. Activision maintains operations throughout the world. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com or by following @Activision.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Activision Publishing’s expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements about the expected Call of Duty: Black Ops III release date of November 6, 2015, are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Activision Publishing’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Activision Publishing and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Activision Publishing nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Activision Publishing or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.
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