Black Ops 4's intended Multiplayer version was ambitious, but "not Call of Duty"

Treyarch Studios reportedly had a different vision for Black Ops 4's Multiplayer version which was unlike "Call of Duty" games from the past (Image via Activision)

Upon its initial release in 2018, Black Ops 4 was met with a lukewarm reaction from gamers. A major reason for most players not liking it was Treyarch Studios' change in approach to the design of this project. Now, a post from a popular insider suggests that the actual plans for BO4's Multiplayer didn't align with the traditional "Call of Duty" DNA seen in most games.

This article highlights key details about Treyarch's original vision for Black Ops 4, which was quite different from the general format followed by installments released before it.

Treyarch's original Multiplayer idea for Black Ops 4 was "not Call of Duty" by its very nature

Reliable insider @Nocturnal2002, who's had a good track record of sharing major updates on the Call of Duty series, recently dropped a post on X. The account mentioned a lesser-known fact about Treyarch's Black Ops 4 which was launched nearly six years ago.

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According to the scooper, Black Ops 4's Multiplayer reportedly received a completely revamped approach in its final year of development by Treyarch Studios. The team's ambition was huge. At the same time, it was different and non-traditional compared to Call of Duty installments before 2018.

Interestingly, this unknown detail was also highlighted in a report by Insider Gaming from 2022. The media outlet had revealed that BO4 Multiplayer's overall development cycle was troubled in its entirety.

Poster image from BO4 (Image via Activision)

The developers initially intended to introduce each Specialist with his/her own set of abilities and skins akin to a game like Overwatch. Furthermore, an Escalation system (dynamic in-game progression for Specialists instead of having UAVs or Killstreaks) and Thrust Packs were also planned for the Multiplayer mode.

However, all the proposed ideas were scrapped just before the game's initial reveal in March 2018. It's because the game reportedly didn't get very good feedback during its final playtesting phase.

Hence, the team had to rework the design while slightly backtracking from the original vision of introducing a new Multiplayer experience. As a result, the actual product at launch ended up being half-baked and eventually failed to attract favorable momentum.

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