Just recently, Treyarch co-studio head Dan Bunting disappointed many fans looking forward to a single-player experience in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 by revealing in an interview that not having a traditional solo campaign had always been the company's plan from the start. Now, however, Treyarch Senior Producer Yale Miller has intimated that the forthcoming first-person shooter sequel could add a single-player campaign after its release.
This much was intimated in an interview with Daily Star Online at Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's Community Day reveal event in Los Angeles just a couple of days ago, with Miller stating that Treyarch developed the title with what it believed fans wanted over any other content. According to the studio's Senior Producer, though, a more standard single-player experience could come post-launch, as he said, "[The single player mode] is only missing at this moment in time," which potentially infers its inclusion after release.
"I really think with every game we make, we finish that title and then we ask ‘what is it fans are gonna love the most?’ If that’s another traditional campaign, then we’ll make another traditional campaign.
“But right now, for what our goals were for Black Ops 4, it was just [multiplayer, Zombies, and Blackout] that we were focused on."
Many fans are likely not surprised at Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's lack of a traditional campaign at launch, especially since the franchise has mostly become a brand synonymous with online components such as the long-running series' Team Deathmatch mode in multiplayer. After all, Black Ops 3 eschewed a campaign for Xbox 360 and PS3 in favor of making them Zombies and multiplayer-only products. And while those who were anticipating a single-player experience upon release for BO4 may be hopeful for its inclusion after the fact, some might decide to avoid the solo experience even if the feature does come about, as it could feel tacked-on or incomplete.
Regarding the matter, Miller went on to say, "I love narrative games, there’s a place for narrative games, but for us and what we wanted to do, it was the right decision [to not include a single-player campaign at release]”. With this being the case, should Treyarch decide to provide one for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 after launch to appease a certain segment of the fan base, it may not even receive the attention required to tell a worthwhile story based on the studio's admitted focus. Of course, Sledgehammer Games and Infinity Ward could be the developers to potentially keep the single-player tradition going should Black Ops 4 not end up receiving a campaign after launch.
All things considered, Treyarch's take on Call of Duty with Black Ops 4 could be exactly what the series needs in terms of the features and modes provided at launch, as the studio could be streamlining the title in a direction that the majority of fans want. That said, though, we will have to wait and see if the developer is up to the task when it comes to delivering meaningful content for the game's multiplayer, Zombies, and battle royale mode.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is set to release on October 12, 2018 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Source: Daily Star Online