Other Modes Not Included
Nearly three months after release, Activision and Treyarch have decided to offer up a free trial of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 to the masses. Specifically, the shooter’s last-man-standing Blackout mode will be free to try.
Call of Duty: Blackout will be available for free on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Basically, you’ll find it on PSN, the Microsoft Store, and Battle.net. The online game mode will be downloadable starting on January 17, available until January 24. That’s a full week to partake in the free-for-all map full of guns, classic COD locations, and hostile players. Some users won’t want to miss a beat of Treyarch’s battle royale action, so keep an eye out on each store close to release.
Curiously, Activision and Treyarch did not make the entire game available in their free trial. Both multiplayer and Zombies still require a full purchase, which is odd since free trial members won’t be able to weigh the additional value of either. I guess the publisher intends to lean heavily on one aspect of the experience.
Despite selling 550 million copies of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, investors, it seems, weren’t over the moon about Activision’s profits. Call of Duty is a tentpole franchise, so maybe the inclusion of a battle royale mode raised expectations too high? Perhaps, Blackout will eventually adopt the free-to-play model that made Fortnite so grossly accessible. Time will tell.