Black Ops 4 Is 2018's New Call Of Duty; Early Release Date Set

Following a great deal of speculation and apparent confirmation that 2018's Call of Duty entry would be a new Black Ops game, Activision has made it official. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is in development and will be released later this year --though it'll be out sooner than we're accustomed to.

Black Ops 4 is headed to PS4, Xbox One, and PC; there's no word on a Switch version, as some had hoped. It will be released on Friday, October 12, almost a full month sooner than the early November release window that new Call of Duty games typically occupy. As previously confirmed, this year's game is being developed by Treyarch, the studio responsible for the entire Black Ops series.

Unfortunately, beyond those basic details, Activision hasn't shared anything further about the game. Instead, a special event will be hosted on May 17 where Activision will reveal the game publicly. It's unclear if we'll get any other official details prior to that date. It looks as if the PC version may use Blizzard's Battle.net.

It was reported earlier this year that 2018's game would be Black Ops 4. Activision rotates between Call of Duty studios on a three-year cycle, and given the sub-series' popularity and the fact that 2018 marks three years since the previous Black Ops game's launch, the news made sense. Subsequently, NBA star James Harden was recently spotted wearing a hat that appeared to feature a modified version of the Black Ops III logo, only with four symbols (roman numerals be damned). That logo turned out to be real, as you can see above. Black Ops 3, meanwhile, received a surprise update with new content, leading some to wonder if it was meant to tease the possibility of a sequel.

We'll report back as Activision shares more details on Black Ops 4. In the meantime, let us know what you hope to see from it in the comments below.