The first-person shooter game Cold War was created by Raven Software and Treyarch and released by Activision in 2020. For PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Microsoft Windows, it was made available globally on 13th of November, 2020. It is the seventeenth game in the Call of Duty franchise overall and the sixth Black Ops entry. Since 2011's Modern Warfare 3, this is the second Call of Duty game co-developed by two companies.
The game was not meant to be a part of the Black Ops subseries when it was first created by Sledgehammer and Raven Games. In 2019, Activision appointed Treyarch as the game's lead developer, with Raven serving as their co-developer due to conflicts between the two teams that plagued the game's development.
Beginning in August 2020, marketing for the game was done in various ways, such as giving slide projectors to certain content providers, creating online puzzles for fans to complete, and creating a website showing historical Cold War events. In October 2020, the game's public multiplayer beta became live. Critics gave Black Ops Cold War largely positive reviews, praising the campaign, multiplayer, and zombies but criticizing its technical flaws and lack of creativity. As a result, it became the most popular game in the US in 2020.
Before a Cold War game's fall release, announcements and marketing have often been made around April or May. But in August 2020, Activision started teasing the video game with an alternate reality game (ARG). Many YouTubers who were popular in the Cold War group on YouTube were sent in boxes. They were met with a slide projector, ten distinct slides per container, and a manifest once they were given the go-ahead to start operations on August 10, 2020.Ā
After the initial ciphers were cracked on August 14, 2020, the video game was promoted by encouraging fans to crack riddles and ciphers on pawntakespawn.com. The website allowed viewers to watch VHS cassettes with news clips and other content from the Cold War's relevant year(s). Along with one set of parameters per VHS tape pointing to a place in Warzone, two-digit nixie tube configurations that were to be used to crack ciphers also randomly occurred throughout the VHS recordings.
Once all ciphers were cracked, the preview trailer was released on August 19, 2020.
The PlayStation 4 edition was Japan's best-selling retail title of the week in its first sales week, selling 84,475 physical copies. With 6,045 sales during the same week, the PlayStation 5 edition was Japan's twentieth best-selling retail game. It was revealed that the game sold 5.7 million digital copies in December 2020. The game generated $678 million in revenue in the first six weeks of availability. According to lifetime dollar sales, the NPD Group recognized it as the twentieth best selling game in the US, making it the best-selling game of 2020.
The CIA discovers the prolific Russian spy has become active again after a thirteen-year silence bringing with him an imminent attack on the free world. Codename Perseus and his comrades must be stopped from subduing America and tilting the balance of power in favour of the Soviet Union. Many familiar Black Ops faces return, with historical figures such as former president Ronald Reagan featuring the narrative, while the central campaign features different endings depending on player actions.
Cold War has a variety of close combat techniques. Stealthy takedowns provide a quiet option to clear an outpost, while lethal takedowns eliminate enemies faster. Engine enemies can be used as human shields to reduce damage under heavy fire. Alternatively, strap a grenade to them and throw them into a crowd of insurgents.
Cold War's multiplayer maps span the globe and fight against the neon drench backdrop of Miami South beach. Zipline from battleships to submarines across an armada in the North Atlantic or take in Moscow's lavish metro stations as the battle hits the Russian capital's streets. With larger maps than ever before Cold War is bursting with ways to get around. Motorbikes, jet skis, and snowmobiles are fast, while tanks advance slowly but bring immeasurable destruction.
Cold War's multiplayer modes include VIP escort. A tactical 6v6 where teams take turns to extract a VIP armed with a silenced pistol and knife and access to a spy plane for a calculated withdrawal. The goal is to keep the VIP safe, escape to the extraction site or eliminate the rival team's VIP. Dirty bomb takes place over much larger maps where scavenging, depositing, and detonating are the aim of the game. Eliminate enemies, collect their uranium to deposit into dirty bomb sites, and then detonate once full to mask the area in nuclear gas.
Loadouts can change the outcome of a fight. Field upgrades like proximity and gas mines can surprise unsuspecting targets, while the sam turret and trophy system offer protection from aerial assaults and explosives. Perks assist players' strengths in different ways. Tack mask and flak jacket reduce the effects of lethal and tactical grenades. Scavenger and tracker replenish ammo and let you track other combatants, cold-blooded ghosts, and ninjas conceal your location from spy planes and field mics while silencing your footsteps.
Unlockable wild cards return and offer unique abilities in multiplayer. Danger cloth spawns you with extra grenades and maximum reserve ammo for those longer firefights. Lawbreaker unlocks weapon restrictions and perks selections so players can mix up firearms and choose multiple perks from the same tier. Gunfighter grants access to three extra weapon attachments to create the most accurate and devastating guns, and greed doubles your perk allowance to stack multiple abilities at once.
Black Ops Cold War claimed to have sold 5.7 million digital copies in Dec 2020, implying that at least 5.7 million gamers had briefly played the game. Unfortunately, no services track how many people are playing Black Ops Cold War, and Activision does not publish any figures.
The latest data indicates that the majority of the players (31.18%) are from the United States, followed by (5.60%) from the United Kingdom, 4.85% from Germany, 4.06% from Canada, and 3.30% from Brazil.
Following are regional popularity statistics for the game, which are directly proportional to the number of players that have downloaded COD Cold War.
There are 441 live feeds and 1,227 live viewers watching COD: Black Ops Cold War.
Twitch launched Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War on November 13, 2020.
As of September 9, 2020, COD: Black Ops Cold War had 705,367 peak views and 23,931 maximum channels (13th Nov, 2020)
On Twitch, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War last month attained position 150.
There are typically 1,041 Twitch channels streaming Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.
Black Ops Cold War was the most popular and top-selling game in May 2021.
Activision's financial performance with COD: Black Ops: Cold War during 2021 has boosted the reputation of the Call of Duty series.
According to the newest market research, Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War was the most popular video game in 2021. The game was released in November 2020, and within a month of its debut, over 5.7 million unitsāworth over $678 millionāhad been sold. Activision's financial performance with Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War during 2021 has boosted the reputation of the Call of Duty series. With over 31 million sales revenues as of October 2019, Call of Duty: Black Ops is still a prevalent Call of Duty game in the series.
The marketing for Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War focused on the game's alternate history of the Cold War in the 1980s, set between the wildly popular Call of Duty: Black Ops & Black Ops II games. Activision's innovative marketing strategy was successful, which involved leading well-known Call of Duty streams through a thorough alternate reality game in August 2020 to promote the next game.
The NPD Group reports that until May, Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War continued to be the best-selling video game of 2021. However, due to Resident Evil Village's excitement, the game debuted as the second most popular game in 2021 and the top game in May. According to an NPD analyst who spoke with Venture Beat, the total revenue from game sales in May increased by 3% to $4.5 billion.
Due to its popularity, Activision continues to provide material to a rapidly expanding player population for Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War. The publisher continues to promote the game vigorously. The most recent Call of Duty game will ultimately surpass all others in sales if sales continue at the present rate. The franchise may have further opportunities if the game succeeds in reaching those heights. As well as numerous other ideas that Activision decision-makers are probably already thinking about, a standalone successor to Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War is possible. The levels that Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War will reach will depend on upcoming revelations for the game's final seasons.
