After rumors that the 2018 "Call of Duty" offering would be a "Black Ops" installment, video game publisher Activision has finally confirmed that "Call of Duty: Black Ops 4" would indeed be coming out this year. While Activision did not reveal much about the upcoming game, what is known now is the release date and the consoles on which the game will be available.
Last month, Eurogamer reported that, according to "multiple sources," "Black Ops 4" will be the next "Call of Duty" installment. It was also reported that the new installment will have far less of a science-fiction feel to it, since "Black Ops 3" was entirely focused on its sci-fi elements.
Other than that, game developer Treyarch was also up to bat in the three-studio rotation for "Call of Duty" games. Treyarch developed the past three "Black Ops" games, which further solidified rumors that "Black Ops 4" was indeed 2018's "Call of Duty" game.
Earlier this month, meanwhile, images of listings on the GameStop system for "Call of Duty Black Ops 4" merchandise was leaked by CharlieIntel. Basketball star James Harden was also photographed wearing a cap featuring what looked like the logo of a new "Black Ops" game.
It seems that these speculations were on to something, because "Call of Duty: Black Ops 4" is indeed the upcoming "Call of Duty" game for this year. Activision announced on March 8 that "Black Ops 4" is coming in 2018, about three years after "Black Ops 3" came out. The "Black Ops 4" logo even seems to be the same one spotted on Harden's cap. However, Activision did not reveal much more.
Activision and Treyarch are set to come out with more details on May 17 during a live-streamed Community Reveal Event, so it is possible to learn more then. Activision also did announce that "Call of Duty: Black Ops 4" will be released on Oct. 12 of this year, which is about a month sooner than the usual "Call of Duty" releases.
The "Black Ops 4" release may be months away, but that does not mean that players will be without new "Black Ops" content before then. It was reported earlier this month that Activision will release new content for "Black Ops 3."
Activision also revealed that "Black Ops 4" will be available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. There is no official word on if and when the game will be available for Nintendo Switch, and it is possible that a Switch version will not materialize any time soon.
However, self-proclaimed "industry insider" Marcu Sellars, who seems to have been the first to leak news about "Black Ops 4," tweeted that there is already a company working on making the game compatible with Switch.
Watch out for the release of "Call of Duty: Black Ops 4" on Friday, Oct. 12.
