[UPDATED] Rumor: Black Ops 4 Will Have Battle Royale Mode, No Single Player Campaign

UPDATE 15:00 EST APRIL 18: Jason Schreier, news editor at Kotaku, has backed up Polygon's claims that the game won't have a single player but will have a battle royale mode.

Still in Paris but I can confirm @plante's scoop that Blops IIII won't have a single-player campaign. It will have a Battle Royale mode, because of course it will https://t.co/rLkYOOxAhb

— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) April 18, 2018

ORIGINAL STORY:

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is set to be released on October 12th with the world getting its first look at what the newest entry in the legendary first person shooter franchise has in store for players during a community reveal event on May 17th. However, thanks to reports by Polygon and Charlie Intel, fans have learned some new information regarding the fourth title in the Black Ops series. 

According to the report by Polygon, anonymous sources told the outlet that Black Ops 4 will not have a single player campaign, which would be the first time a Call of Duty has shipped without one in its history. The sources stated that Activision and Treyarch realized that with the game's release date closing in, the campaign was not going to be completed in time. With this development, Treyarch decided to shift the focus of Black Ops 4 to multiplayer and cooperative modes, such as the ever popular zombies game mode that has become a staple in the franchise, as stand-ins for the single player campaign. 

Responding to a request for comment by Polygon on the reported exclusion of the title's singple player campaign, an Activision representative stated, "We don't comment on rumor and speculation. We look forward to revealing Black Ops 4 on May 17th." 

Charlie Intel added onto the news of the upcoming Call of Duty game not including a signle player experience, as a source told the outlet that "Activision believed that Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's campaign was 'too out there' and 'outlandish' and cancelled it to let Treyarch focus on MP and Zombies." 

Soon after Polygon's report was made, Charlie Intel reported that a source had confirmed to the outlet that Raven Software had been assigned to develop a Battle Royale mode for Black Ops 4 in order to fill the space left behind with no campaign being incorporated into the game. This news coincides with an earlier report by Wall Street Journalist Sarah Needleman that consisted of an investment firm stating that "Activison is keenly of how other game publishers have recently benefited from releasing titles in popular the 'battle royale' genre". 

With the recent success of Fortnite Battle Royale and Player Unknowns Battlegrounds, it looks as though Activision has reportedly decided that Black Ops 4 will be a more competitive title in the market with a creative shift that will see the title have a battle royale game mode instead of a single player campaign.  

(cover photo courtesy of Activison)