When fans think of the Call of Duty series, many qualities come to mind, but storytelling might not be the first one. Being aware of this, Treyarch Studios choose to give players total freedom on how they will approach the mission sequence.
Black Ops III comes with every mission unlocked from the get go, so that players don't have to complete the whole campaign to see the ending.
"It gives [players] the flexibility to consume the content how they want," Jason Blundell, the campaign director, said. He added that the standardized level system is an "archaic mentality" that is out of touch with the mindset of contemporary gamers.
One source of inspiration for this bold move might be Netflix, which uploads TV series from back to end, all at once. Blundell estimates that fans who sees the ending first will be enticed to follow up and play the whole game afterward.
"When Netflix release House of Cards and do all the episodes, does everyone just jump to the end and go and play the last episode? Sure you can. But it's about the journey, though, right?" Blundell assumed.
In contrast with House of Cards and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Black Ops III will miss the voice of Kevin Spacey. But the lack of celebrity vocals will be compensated by other attractions, the developers say. Developers at Treyarch are sure that dedicated gamers will grind through the entire campaign to better understand the story and to unlock every possible achievement.
The storyline is set in 2060 and plays with security breaches, data leaks and human augmentation programs. Each one of these topics is a hot subject for debate today, and smart story construction might convince players to stream through the entire game.
"You've got a world now that consumes this kind of content at the same moment," Blundell affirmed.
Treyarch's modus operandi is based on another reality, as well. Most Call of Duty players are interested in the multiplayer modes exclusively, while the numbers of gamers who play single-player campaigns rank way lower.
Call of Duty: Black Ops III will be released on Nov. 6.
