Activision's newest official blog post is packed with a ton of info regarding multiplayer in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, including cross-generational play. Fans have no need to worry about missing out when the new consoles hit.
The Call of Duty franchise is no stranger to handling a new console generation. 2013's Call of Duty: Ghosts launched initially for the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii U, but offered the chance to upgrade to the Xbox One and PS4 versions for an additional fee. However, the game did not support cross-generational play. This meant that players who weren't quite ready to upgrade, or couldn't afford to, got left behind if their friends were enjoying the newest tech.
Not so anymore. For the first time in the franchise's 17-year history, players can party up with friends without exception. According to the official blog, Black Ops Cold War will remove limitations surrounding both generation and platform. Players can form parties whose members could, in theory, be playing "across the five available platforms." Further, Activision promises a smoother experience on PC in the interest of "interconnectedness" via Battle.net.
The franchise dipped its toes into the crossplay pool with the release of Call of Duty: Warzone. One of the major contributors to its success, the free battle royale mode allows players to party together in a seamless integration. All gamers need is an Activision ID, which returns in Black Ops Cold War to track progression and enable crossplay.
Cross-platform play has been a hot button topic leading up to the console launch window. It's a feature that many fans have been asking for, specifically with regard to multiplayer games. Crossplay merges a game's playerbase into a single entity, as opposed to fractured ones based on platform. Some games have thrived on one platform while dwindling on another. Therefore, crossplay eliminates fears of purchasing a game on a "dead" platform. It is also a consumer-friendly feature that empowers gamers to choose how they want to play.
Crossplay is not without its skeptics, however. Industry giants have often been resistant to crossplay. The feature could hurt sales, or hurl exclusivity deals into the fires of obsolescence. Such arguments are not without merit; for many consumers, the choice of which console to buy comes down to which exclusive titles are available. Removing that factor means that sales and success can become much harder to predict. Still, this news could be an indication that companies are willing to adapt to the needs of consumers.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War releases November 13 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Source: Activision
