The new Call of Duty may feature what Activision is calling “new ways for players to participate in in-game content.” This detail is based on the company’s earnings report to investors for the first quarter of 2019.
Activision mentions this drive for new types of content in a slide labeled “Player Investment” in the earnings report. Specifically, the bullet point states that “The team continues to iterate around in-game features and offerings within Black Ops 4, testing new ways for players to participate in in-game content both for that game and future titles.”
While Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is specifically mentioned, the report also mentions “future titles.” This likely refers to the new as-yet untitled Call of Duty game that several athletes got to try out a few weeks ago.
However, the report doesn’t state exactly what these “new ways for players to participate in in-game content” are. With that said, the other line items on the same page talk about “in-game net bookings” and “monetization.” As such, Activision’s plans for players to participate in this content likely involves both DLC and microtransactions.
Call of Duty DLC releases usually fall into one of two categories: They’re either content packs that add new maps, or they’re cosmetic packs for players to customize their multiplayer characters. The report seems to indicate that Activision is planning to release paid content that doesn’t fall into either of these categories.
That said, Activision could be planning something that isn’t paid DLC at all. The company could also be testing other modes of play that could help the series stand against other first-person shooters. Black Ops 4 did include a battle royale mode similar to the likes of PUBG and Apex Legends, after all.
Whatever these “new ways for players to participate in in-game content” are, players will likely find out soon. Activision usually announces a new Call of Duty in May. Before that, it seems the company will be implementing these in Black Ops 4 well.
