While Modern Warfare brings back the campaign action with a story that is designed to make you feel when it hammers home the horrors of war, rumours say that this year’s take on Battle Royale is going to result in a BIG mode.

I liked Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s battle royale mode Blackout when I played it. That was, of course, before the modes went into rotation. Then Apex Legends came along, making other battle royale games seem positively archaic by comparison. At this point though, I’m thoroughly over games of its ilk – but if you’ve had enough for Fortnite and Apex and want to try something else, Activision has announced that Blackout is going free-to-play for the entirety of April.

The major focus from Activision’s earning’s call yesterday is, rightfully, bound to be on the on the massive layoffs across the company. Eight hundred people are now without jobs, despite the company seeing record growth, with revenues up 6 per cent year-on-year and new executives having sizeable signing bonuses. According to Activision COO Coddy Johnson, last year’s Call of Duty, Black Ops 4, did exceptionally well in its launch period, but failed to maintain that momentum in the second half of the quarter.

This year’s Call of Duty really is very good indeed. Though the game’s nixed its single player campaign, it has replaced it with a Battle Royale mode that is also quite spiffing. And you can play it for free.

…But it’s totally a mobile game so it’s probably going to have monetisation plans that are remorseless, transforming it into the perfect killing machine and making it unmatched in its hostility as consumers face an app that isn’t blindsided by delusions of grandeur.

There’s a lot to love about Call of Duty Black Ops IIII. It’s fast, the emphasis on multiplayer has made it more polished than ever and Blackout is a pitch perfect combination of battle royale ideas and Call of Duty’s own legacy. What the Blackout part of the game certainly isn’t right now, is anywhere near playable if you happen to live south of the equator, with many South American and South African players complaining lately of being unable to join any games in a variety of modes.

blackout For the last week or so, Call of Duty players in South Africa (and other countries, predominantly – but not limited to the Southern Hemisphere) have been unable to play the Battle Royale mode, Blackout. Instead, players are greeted with error messages and infinite wait times.

Battlefield V's Battle Royale mode is going to need a lot more time to cook up, as EA confirms it's only expected to launch in March 2019.