Pre-Alpha footage reveals scrapped Finishing Moves in Black Ops 3

An Operator executing a Finishing Move in Call of Duty
Black Ops 3 was the first Call of Duty game to have Finishing Moves, but they were later scrapped from the final release (Image via Activision)

Pre-Alpha footage from Black Ops 3 has revealed Finishing Moves in the game that were later scrapped. Recently, @Nocturnal2002 on X posted a short clip showing the existence of Finishing Moves or Executions in BO3. However, it never made it to the final release build and wasn't seen in the series until the release of Modern Warfare in 2019.

Here's a look at everything that was revealed in the recent footage.


Finishing Moves were present in Black Ops 3, but got scrapped

Finishing Moves or Executions were supposed to be a part of Black Ops 3. But the gameplay mechanic never made it to the final build of the game. In fact, fans didn't see the feature until Modern Warfare dropped in 2019.

For context, Black Ops 3 was released back in 2015. It was four years after the shooter was released that fans got to see the inclusion of the feature in the series.

In the Pre-Alpha footage shared by @Nocturnal2002, an Operator is seen rushing an enemy player playing the game's objective. Then, they switch to their knife and take position behind the one holding the site.

Once the player is positioned behind them, they execute a Finishing Move which is played out in the form of a cutscene. They take down the enemy with unique animation, which, too, unfortunately, never made it to the final release.

For those who are new to the series, Finishing Moves or Executions in Call of Duty is a gameplay mechanic that allows players to take down unaware enemies with a special kill animation from a third-person perspective.

Black Ops 3 was considered ahead of its time and that polished all the gameplay mechanics that others before it tried to implement. Treyarch, the studio behind the development of BO3, is known for trying out new things with its games. The recent footage shows that the team was testing out gameplay mechanics that only made it to the franchise four years after its release.


That covers everything that you need to know about the existence of Executions or Finishing Moves in Black Ops 3.

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