In the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War launch broadcast, Treyarch Communications Director John Rafacz interviewed Audio Engineers Brian Tuey, Collin Ayers, and Kevin Sherwood. The engineers discussed the various mechanics of the new audio systems, and how the updates will help players feel more immersed in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.
Treyarch's latest title marks its sixth entry in the Call of Duty franchise. The first to be on PS5 and Xbox Series X, the broadcast helps to further detail all of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War's next-gen console improvements.
Audio Director Brian Tuey says the updated audio system will enable players to better understand their surroundings. The audio team have been able to achieve the effects of sound traveling throughout game environments via an acoustic simulation. This means more realistic audio, with nuances such as sounds changing depending on what materials they pass through. Although, certain sounds associated with the player being in danger will become louder, similarly to the Call of Duty: Warzone Season 5 update. This is what's being called the Threat Priority System, designed to ensure that players always know where enemies are.
The next-gen's ability to fully support three-dimensional audio makes all of the new audio upgrades possible. The next evolutionary step in video game sound will give Black Ops Cold War players much better directional bearings. This is especially noticeable when it comes to noise from above or below. For example, players can easily tell if an enemy is on the floor beneath them, or when parachuting from above.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is available with multiple audio presets, further letting players customize their audio settings. Combine that with the capabilities of the new 3D audio, and players are reaching an entirely new level of immersion. However, this may not necessarily work with everyone's gaming setup. Players who use speakers instead of headphones might be disappointed with PlayStation 5's big missing audio feature.
All of the newly introduced audio technology should have players extremely excited for the future of video games. It'll be interesting to see how developers will utilize the new tech going forward. Now that both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X have released, gamers around the world have been showing up in force. Call of Duty and other video games have set record broadband usage in the UK, with more records likely to be set over the course of the next few months. It's certainly a great time for video games.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War launches November 13. for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
