Sony has announced that Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 will be made available for free to all PlayStation Plus subscribers later this evening. Sony made the announcement earlier today during its E3 press conference, which also debuted new gameplay for a plethora of previously announced titles.

It isn't often that Sony gives out triple-a titles for free beyond the standard two PlayStation Plus games subscribers receive every month, and it's even less common for Activision to give away a Call of Duty game, so this is a pretty generous offering for the two companies. Why exactly they're handing the game out doesn't really need to be decoded- they want players to get excited for the upcoming release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4the next game to be released into the Call of Duty franchise.

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Black Ops 3 is considered to be one of the better titles in the franchise by many fans, though others believe that's when the fatigue of futuristic settings began to set in, reaching its peak with Infinite Warfare. Activision and Treyarch have since made a point of ensuring fans are aware that Black Ops 4 will feature "Boots On The Ground" style combat to avoid any controversy among members of the community that have grown tired of the faster-paced exo-suit gameplay. Black Ops 4 will also be releasing in October as opposed to November, a first for a main entry in the franchise.

It will be interesting to see if this free giveaway has any effect on pre-orders for Black Ops 4, which has had a mixed reaction from the community since its reveal in May due to its futuristic setting despite lacking exo-suits. Giving away a game for free is an excellent way for Activision to turn public opinion in its favor. With Black Ops 3 being a 3-year-old title, it's especially smart on Activision's part as it likely won't hurt the sales of their current game, Call of Duty: World War 2, while at the same time adding a little coal to the Black Ops 4 hype train engine.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is currently available for free for PlayStation Plus subscribers.

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