Black Ops 4 set for new battle royale map

Treyarch will release a new map for Call of Duty Black Ops 4’s battle royale mode, Blackout on Tuesday April 4.

Promising close-quarters gameplay, Blackout’s Alcatraz map will be available first on PS4, with other platforms to follow.

The surprise announcement was made on Twitter just a day ahead of the map’s release. It was accompanied by a trailer which also revealed that publisher Activision will be offering free Blackout access on all platforms from April 2 until Tuesday April 30. Access to the mode usually requires users to own a copy of Call of Duty Black Ops 4.

In late March, Treyarch released Call of Duty Black Ops 4 update 1.16, adding the Ancient Evil Zombies map for Black Ops Pass holders, in addition to new multiplayer and Blackout features.

On the multiplayer front, the update introduced much-requested Barebones modes, providing a more old-school MP experience which strips out the Specialist weapons.

In Blackout, the patch added Outrider’s Sparrow, Zero’s EMP Disruptor and the Home Wrecker melee weapon to the mode.

Additionally, circle collapse damage now escalates the longer players are outside the circle, especially during the final circle of the match, in order to prevent “players from relying on the Outlander and Consumer perk combo to out-heal the competition in the final circle instead of joining the fight”.