If there are three things you can count on, it’s death, taxes, and the yearly release of Call of Duty. The lead up to that fall release is also generally predictable—even if this year has shaken quite a few things up for the staple military shooter franchise—featuring a multiplayer beta shortly before the game’s full release. Following the surprise PS4 multiplayer alpha breaking records, the Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War beta saw similar success as the most downloaded Call of Duty beta ever.
Treyarch announced the achievement on Twitter via the Call of Duty account:
Thanks #BlackOpsColdWar fans everywhere, you’ve made the Multiplayer Beta the most downloaded in Call of Duty history. pic.twitter.com/ETLyRWkIwr
— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) October 22, 2020
The Black Ops Cold War multiplayer beta took place across two weekends. The first was a PS4-only weekend, rolled out in phases first to preorders and then opened up to everybody. The second weekend added preorders on Xbox and PC before opening up fully to everyone. It was extended by one day thanks to the efforts of the Call of Duty community solving puzzles and Easter eggs via the PawnTakesPawn site, which has been central to the many Black Ops Cold War reveals that have been happening.
It’s been a big year of “bests” for the Call of Duty franchise. Call of Duty League’s Championship match was the most watched Call of Duty esports match ever. This year saw the release of the free-to-play Warzone battle royale, which has achieved more than 75 million players just half a year since its release. Call of Duty Mobile also just had its one year anniversary. And interest in Treyarch’s upcoming entry in the Black Ops sub-franchise continues to be high, with players eager to see what the renowned developer can do next.
Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War is set to release on November 13th for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC with full crossplay supported on all platforms.
