Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Will Not Have A Single-Player Campaign

Here's a potentially disappointing rumor for longtime fans of Call of Duty's single-player campaigns: the rumored Black Ops 4 title will reportedly not incorporate a traditional single-player mode, says sources privy to the project's status.

The major shift in creative direction, if true, will mark Black Ops 4 as the first-ever Call of Duty title to launch without a standard campaign.

The report comes from Polygon, which pressed Activision for comment only to be returned with a boilerplate response:

"We don't comment on rumor and speculation," a spokesperson said. The company does "look forward to revealing Black Ops 4 on May 17th," though.

Why 'Call Of Duty: Blacks Ops 4' Might Not Have A Single-Player Campaign

Ditching the single-player campaign apparently became inevitable as the release date of Black Ops 4 neared. At that point, the team realized the single-player campaign wouldn't be finished, according to the sources who requested to remain anonymous.

So instead of rushing to finish the campaign, Treyarch decided it will focus on fleshing out the game's multiplayer mode even more and also the game's wildly popular Zombies mode. An emphasis on co-op play is supposed to replace the conventional single-player campaign structure, one source said.

Battle Royale?

There's also word circulating around suggesting Activision has tapped Raven Software to add a battle royale mode to help fill the hole left by the absence of a traditional single-player mode.

The decision to emphasize multiplayer experiences seems a wise recourse, though it remains a troubling idea that an element of the title is being scrapped because it can't be completed in time. Not just any element too but one of the most important elements in the franchise. Call of Duty, which began in 2003, has long been heralded for its single-player campaigns, offering some of the most iconic moments in video game history.