Call of Duty: Ghosts

There's no denying that Microsoft and the Call of Duty brand have a very special relationship when it comes to high profile announcements. Microsoft has supplied Xbox consoles to any Call of Duty event, and Call of Duty usually makes an appearance during a major Microsoft press conference. As a result it was no surprise that Activision had a special Call of Duty: Ghosts announcement set for Microsoft's press conference at Gamescom 2013 earlier today.

At the presser, Activision revealed that there will be a special Call of Duty: Ghosts Xbox One bundle that will come with Microsoft's next-gen console, a digital download of Ghosts, and special add-on content for the game. However, because this announcement was made at Gamescom, which is held in Cologne, Germany, it's unclear whether the Call of Duty: Ghosts bundle will be exclusive to Europe or if it will be a global offering.

Activision also announced that the Xbox One version of Call of Duty: Ghosts will have dedicated servers that use the console's new cloud computing platform. That means the player host advantage seen in previous console iterations of Call of Duty will be a thing of the past — at least on the Xbox One.

PC gamers have known the joy of dedicated Call of Duty servers for a while, and now it's time for console gamers to get in on the action. The only question is whether Sony will follow suit with the PS4 version of COD: Ghosts?

Call of Duty Ghosts Coop

And finally - because what's a Call of Duty announcement without an actually in-game reveal? - Activision also announced a new multiplayer mode for the game called Blitz. Unlike many of the kill and capture-focused modes heavily featured in the series, Blitz requires players travel to a specific area to score. The best way to describe Blitz is that it's like CTF, except every player is a flag carrier and instead of dropping the flag at death they just respawn with it.

What do you think of the new Blitz mode for Call of Duty: Ghosts multiplayer? Will the promise of dedicated servers entice you towards the Xbox One version of the game?

Call of Duty: Ghosts will be available November 5, 2013 for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. Release dates for the PS4 and Xbox One versions have not been announced.