The first season of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War content is arriving next week, bringing plenty of new maps, modes, and weapons to the latest Call of Duty title. One of the additional maps coming to Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is set inside a mall, and Back to the Future fans should be very familiar with a reference it contains.
While Back to the Future 4 will likely never happen, fans of the franchise still love the classic trilogy of movies. Based on a new mall map set to come to Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, someone at Treyarch is a big Back to the Future fan as well. While this mall-based multiplayer map could have been given any name, it is instead given a similar title to a mall from Back to the Future.
As seen in the cinematic trailer for Season 1 of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, players will be fighting through a location called Mall at the Pines. While players may have been focused on the new operator Stitch and his history with CIA member Russell Adler, fans of Marty McFly and Doc Brown picked up on the mall’s name and logo. “Mall at the Pines” is similar to “Twin Pines Mall,” with both malls’ logos featuring two green trees.
The location being referenced is a big one, as it served as the place where the DeLorean first travels through time. While the reference is subtle and not an obvious nod that everyone will catch, it is a neat addition. The Mall at the Pines map is one of multiple new additions coming to Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, but for fans of Back to the Future, it is a bit more special than just another place to fight in.
It is entirely possible that more Back to the Future references will be discovered on the in-game version of the map, as the Call of Duty series has referenced the film franchise numerous times in the past. While this latest reference is poignant due to Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s 1980’s setting, both Black Ops 3 and Modern Warfare have referenced the series via various clocks around the maps – with the former including movie props as well.
With Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s Season 1 weapons recently leaking and another ARG kicking off, players will not need to wait long to explore the Mall at the Pines map. When they do, they may want to be careful about moving 88 miles per hour.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.