Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 has impressed many players during the beta. Developer Treyarch promises a lot of new content to start with. However, some fans are concerned about the long-term future of the new game.
The new star in Battle Royale heaven: The beta of Black Ops 4 was very well received, especially the Battle Royale mode Blackout. According to many fans, it is the perfect mix of pace, action, and gameplay flow, garnished with cool weapons from all CoD titles as well as useful power-ups in the form of perks.
However, some players on Reddit are concerned about the longevity of the game. What will happen when the next mandatory Call of Duty game comes in 2019?
What happens to Black Ops 4 when the Call of Duty cycle continues?
What is the Call of Duty cycle? Similar to the well-known football series FIFA, the Call of Duty series is defined by the fact that there is a new game every year. Various studios constantly work on a new game.
The current Black Ops 4 is by Treyarch, in 2017 Sledgehammer Games was involved with WWII, and the year before that the controversial Infinite Warfare by Infinity Ward caused unrest.
Does Black Ops 4 have a chance for longevity? As soon as a new Call of Duty game is released, interest in the previous games declines. While the games still receive support for a while, many players look for a new home in the new game.
According to many fans, this would be terrible for Black Ops 4. Because the big highlight, the Battle Royale mode Blackout, is ideal for establishing the game permanently.
Black Ops 4 as a Game as a Service?
Battle Royale must grow: Battle Royale games like PUBG or Fortnite are designed to run for a long time and constantly be supplied with new content. Fortnite does this masterfully with continuous new changes to the map and seasons that introduce new gameplay elements and game modes.
Such games must, according to many fans, continue to evolve and be updated. This way they become better, more stable, bug-free, and more exciting.
Consistency instead of cycle: Instead of reinventing themselves every year, it would be optimal for Black Ops 4, in the eyes of fans, if Treyarch would support the mode almost endlessly with updates. This concept is known as Games as a Service and contradicts the previously established marketing model of Call of Duty, where a new game comes out every year.
Players believe in the sustainable success of Blackout
Is Black Ops 4 suited to be a long-term hit? On Reddit, many players have gathered a lot of reasons that speak for a long lifespan of Black Ops 4 and especially the Battle Royale mode:
- „I would prefer a development cycle that strengthens a solid user base on one game rather than hopping from release to release. There is much less room for mistakes (and PR disasters, I mean the jetpacks [from Infinite Warfare]).“
- „Battle Royale is a genre where you build a game once and then improve it over time. The Culling tried to establish a successor and failed terribly because it violated the rules of the genre. Please don’t make the same mistake, Treyarch/Infinity Ward/Sledgehammer.”
- „I believe that it will go with [Blackout] like Fortnite: new places, special events, new game modes.“
What could a durable Call of Duty look like? To this question, fans have different concepts:
- „From Treyarch’s statement that they wanted to support Black Ops 4 “for years”, many got the impression that other studios would add their own content to Blackout when their respective CoD titles are released. […] However, I can’t imagine that people have to buy Infinity Ward’s new game in 2019 just to get the new Blackout map for it.”
- „It looks like Treyarch will support Blackout for years and there are rumors that Infinity Ward is creating its own Battle Royale for their next CoD. It seems that every studio will make its own Battle Royale.”
What is your opinion? Will Black Ops 4 just be another title in the series, or finally a game that lasts longer? And what do you think of the rumor that every studio makes its own Battle Royale?
Black Ops 4 at EGX and on MAX
By the way, don’t miss our live stream from the EGX fair in Berlin from September 26 to 30, 2018. On our streaming channel MAX (Monsters and Explosions), we will report on the game and even interview the developers.
Watch live video from MONSTERSANDEXPLOSIONS on www.twitch.tv
You can find the schedule for the EGX fair here.
