Activision announces free trial for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s Blackout mode

While Fortnite might have successfully jumped on the battle royale bandwagon popularised by PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds back in 2017, the subsequent barrage of copycats has made it difficult to know which ones are worth it and which ones aren’t. It seems as though Activision realises this, and will now be offering a free trial of its Blackout mode from Call of Duty: Black Ops 4.

The free trial will take place tomorrow, Thursday 17^th January until Thursday 24^th across PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC platforms. It will only encompass the battle royale mode, so users will not be able to access the Multiplayer or Zombies mode without purchasing the game. It isn’t clear whether or not this will be accompanied by a customary sale usually seen around the time of free trials.

Bring your friends — the Blackout Free Trial is coming.

Play #BlackOps4’s Blackout Battle Royale for free from January 17th to the 24th on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. pic.twitter.com/jfOw2diCV9

— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) January 15, 2019

Currently, Blackout and Multiplayer can be purchased in a separate bundle without Zombies, costing £34.99 on Activision Blizzard’s Battle.net. For £49.99, players will get access to the Standard Edition, while £79.99 will net the Digital Deluxe Edition. The cream of the crop is the £99.99 Digital Deluxe Enhanced Edition.

The Digital Deluxe Edition contains the base game similar to the Standard, while including the Black Ops Pass. This in itself grants access to 2,400 Call of Duty Points, the game’s currency, 4 new Zombies maps, 12 new Multiplayer maps and 4 Blackout characters set to be released across 2019. The Digital Deluxe Enhanced Edition includes all of the above, but grants 8,500 Call of Duty Points instead.

Activision’s free trial is likely an effort to compete against Valve making Counter-Strike: Global Offensive free-to-play alongside the release of its Danger Zone battle royale. Blackout is unlikely to make the same transition any time soon, but it is certainly possible somewhere down the line.

KitGuru Says: Blackout has garnered quite the interest from various esports players since its release, with many praising the unique use of mechanics. Should developer Treyarch focus on its balance and Activision prioritise the competitive field, the battle royale mode could really shake-up the scene. Will you be trying Blackout while it’s free?

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