Call of Duty is easily one of the most popular video game series of all time, and two games in the series, Black Ops I and Black Ops II, have sold millions of copies and are arguably the most talked about games in the series. Both games were developed by Treyarch with a game story penned by Batman Begins and Man of Steel screenwriter David S. Goyer. Both games were popular for their multi-player modes, as well as the Campaign mode that features the game’s primary story. A highly popular Zombie mode was also included. Black Ops II set out to introduce the concept of branching storylines where the choices made by the player have an affect on the game’s overall storyline, as well as the ending that the player experiences.
With the obvious love many players have had for the first two installments in the Black Ops series, the teaser announcement Activision made this past week confirming this year’s Black Ops III really comes as no surprise. Black Ops III makes sense because the series already has a solid fan base, and although last year’s Advanced Warfare has fared well with longtime fans of Call of Duty, no game since Black Ops II has been as well-received.
Though the game was just confirmed to be the 2015 Call of Duty release, details for the game are limited, with an expected official announcement about the game to be made on April 26. However, we do know that the game will place in a “dark, twisted future” where the lines between technology and humanity are blurred. That should be enough to get any Call of Duty fan excited. Of course, Advanced Warfare takes place in the future, but with the description released in the Call of Duty’s website source code, it sounds like Black Ops III will take us further into the future where a new brand of warfare will have to be utilized. Black Ops II took us into the future, so we can assume that this game will be later than the events of the second game in the series. It’s also been confirmed that the Zombie mode will once again be included in Black Ops III.
As a sequel, I’ll be interested to see how the story of Black Ops III connects to the story in Blacks Ops II, especially with the game jumping into the future. Black Ops I, after all, took place in the 1960s, Black Ops II jumped between the 1980s and 2025. Black Ops II also had multiple possible endings, so the connection between the games is definitely something to look out for. I’m also curious as to whether David S. Goyer, who worked closely with the development team of the first two games, has returned to work out the new game’s storyline. And on that note, will we see more of the branching storylines approach?
So much is unclear at the moment, but what is clear is that fans are ready for another Black Ops game. Look for more information about the game on April 26.
Tom is a gamer, blogger, article writer, storyteller, and screenwriter who also teaches writing for a living as a high school English teacher.