Black Ops Cold War 'Will Be Most Supported CoD Title Ever'
As Activision prepares to roll out the tanks for a rumoured blast from the past with the next Call of Duty, rest assured that our nostalgic trip to the '80s with Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will continue for a little longer.
Much like criticisms that Ubisoft rattles through the Assassin's Creed games and shifts focus onto what's next before the current title even gets time to settle in, Call of Duty's annual release schedule doesn't leave much room for games to cement their legacy.
Thankfully, there's plenty more to come from Black Ops Cold War.
How will Black Ops Cold War be the "most supported CoD title ever"?
Posting on Twitter, industry insider Tom Henderson reassured worried fans that Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will be the "most supported CoD title ever". According to Henderson, the '80s-set game is "exceeding expectations" with post-release content. It's no secret that Activision makes a fortune from Call of Duty, and with microtransactions going hand in hand with the Season Pass, the money is still flowing.
Remembering that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has continued to sell well beyond its usual life cycle, it looks like this could be the future business model of Activision. Even after Cold War launched last November, Infinity Ward has continued to roll out the updates on Modern Warfare.
Added to this, it was only relatively recently that we saw Rebirth Island, Cold War's integration into Warzone, and the eventual overhaul of the map for Verdansk '84. It means Activision won't be abandoning its war between the USA and USSR to leave a bizarrely '80s-themed Warzone out there on its own.
Is it good news that Black Ops Cold War will be the "most supported CoD title ever"?
Looking at the bigger picture, it makes sense that Cold War isn't put on ice yet. Considering the price of AAA games continues to climb, it's good news that we'll be getting a little more bang for our buck with 2020's big release. Then again, there's an argument that we're milking the cash cow until it's running dry.
In theory, there are just months left where Cold War will be Activision's golden goose. After that, the reins will be handed over to Call of Duty: Vanguard. Ubisoft has taken a different route with Assassin's Creed by releasing a series of DLCs in 2021 and reports that a new game won't arrive until 2022.
There were worrying reports that Vanguard's production has been a bit of a mess - with the upcoming game even being branded a "f*****g disaster". Things were so bad, rumours claimed Vanguard might forego a 2021 release in favour of Modern Warfare 2 remaster. It could be a case of greed getting in the way of making the best game possible in terms of both pre and post-release.
Activision has only missed an annual CoD release once in its lifetime (in 2004), but the question is, how long can this turn and burn mentality carry on for? Still, as the bullets fly and the dollar signs ring in Activision's eyes, we expect multiple CoD games duke it out in the charts will become the norm for the foreseeable future.
