Rachel Stevens, FISM News
Activision claimed in a tweet last week that the new Call of Duty: Cold War beta is now “the most downloaded in Call of Duty history” and thanked fans for their support.
Playstation 4, PC, and Xbox users got a glimpse into the world of the latest Black Ops installment, with the full game release slated for November 13. The Treyarch developed game time-travels back to a tense political climate of the 80s. Players can expect to hunt down the original Black Ops title, but they will additionally encounter familiar faces from this era as they hunt down an elusive Soviet agent known as “Perseus.”
There are no official numbers released by the company about how many downloads it took to break the record, but fans seem delighted with the release of this beta on the back of the enthusiasm over PS5 and Xbox Series X releases around the corner in November. Activision’s open beta format encourages players to try the game with a load of new bonuses and weapons, like a new sub-machine gun for use when the full game releases and access to try the all-new Dirty Bomb Fireteam mode. Original plans had the beta running from the preload on October 6 and closing on the 19. However, given the level of downloads, they extended it to end 24 hours later on October 20 at 10 am est.
Reviews of the beta from YouTube game reviewers are mixed. There are claims the beta has made new milestones and that Activision put thought into user experience, citing the new maps and game mode. Others disagree with this and claim it has issues with enemy visibility and time to kill. Covid-19 shutdowns stimulated growth in the gaming industry, with many at home looking for social-distance safe activities.
Sources: Activision, Eurogamer, Youtubers “jackfrags and The Act Man,” and TechRadar