In more ways than one, the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is a departure from the franchise's norm. The game is making sweeping changes to the Call of Duty's core formula, and looks like it'll innovate more than any Call of Duty title since Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare came out nearly a decade ago.

Many of these innovations will come in the form of tweaks to standard features, such as a highly replayable, nonlinear Call of Duty campaign. Big changes are coming to the multiplayer as well, with the addition of Specialist characters. Zombies will return with a fresh coat of paint, too.

In addition, for only the second time in franchise history, Black Ops 3 developer Treyarch will hold a public beta to test the game's multiplayer gameplay and servers before launch. The beta will take place across all confirmed Black Ops 3 platforms: PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

To get into the beta, fans simply need to pre-order the game for their platform of choice. Pre-orders for the game's physical, digital, and the digital deluxe versions are open now. However, Activision hasn't said when the beta will begin, beyond that it will take place before the actual game releases on November 6th. Now, there's evidence that the beta may take place this August.

After inquiring about how to access the beta, a Twitter user named Satynade claims that he received a message from Norwegian retailer CDON. The message translates directly into, "The code will be sent to your mail in August, when the Beta version releases."

There's no proof that these emails are genuine, or that CDON has reliable information. Since Activision has yet to announce anything, take this with a huge grain of salt. That being said, retailer leaks occasionally turn out to be legitimate. In the past, retailers leaked info such as the Gran Turismo 6 release date (which was only off by a couple week) and the existence of games like Dead Space 3. While there's no definitive proof to back up Satynade's story, there's certainly precedent for the accuracy of retailer leaks, and August seems like as good a month as any to host the Black Ops 3 beta.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is slated for release on November 6th for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, with the beta taking place some point before that date. Last-gen and Wii U versions are rumored to be on the way, but that hasn't been confirmed by Activision.

Source: Imgur