While we already know that Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s battle royale mode, Blackout, will have a limit of 80 players in a match (at least at launch), we now know that Nuketown will be back!

Called “Nuketown Island,” the Black Ops 4 Nuketown version seems to have been hit with an actual nuke since it’s all burnt up and whatnot. We get our first look of it thanks to Black Ops 4 Blackout being the cover story for Game Informer’s October issue! Check out the image below (via Reddit’s SHAMERUNNER):

In case you’re curious how the Black Ops 4 Nuketown version compares to the previous ones Treyarch released before, here’s a “Before and After” look at Nuketown (via Reddit user  bxttxr_off_dxad)

It’s no surprise that Treyarch’s trademark map is coming back for Black Ops 4, but would you have guessed it’d look like that?

In other Black Ops 4 news, Treyarch has confirmed that cross-platform play won’t be happening, and Headquarters mode will not be back for Black Ops 4. The studio has also confirmed that AI-controlled zombies will be in Blackout to add a little spice to the gameplay.

As part of Game Informer’s big October issue Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Blackout blowout, Treyarch Design Director David Vonderhaar sat down and answered a series of rapid fire questions — 195 questions to be exact!

You can watch the video or if you’d rather digest it by reading, Reddit user nmwood98 laid it out in an easy-to-read bulletpoint form! Black Ops 4 cross platform play has been shut down! Not only that, but don’t expect Call of Duty: WWII’s Headquarters mode to return as well.

• Player count of 80, testing up to 115 (Vahn says “with any luck”)
• 3arc Testing Blackout Split screen
• Blackout is NOT a simulation
• Blackout possibly takes place in Nor. Cal
• Not ruling out characters outside of 3arc games for Blackout, but will contain characters from past 3arc games
• LTM events to use/unlock certain content (characters?)
• Multiple types of Armor
• No clothing/cosmetic loot
• No variant rarity (Vahn says it’s too confusing for the rest of the game)
• Mission for characters and mission progression unlocks new content
• Items can be traded between players (at least within squads)
• Items can be taken when looting a dead player, allowing the loot-holder to continue the quest/s
• Zombies spawn at at least four locations “look for the ray of light”
• Circle can close in on pack of zombies
• Blackout indirectly affects other game modes
• Helicopters spawn at Helipad or similar locations (Not always marked with a H, i.e. can be a dirt patch)
• Cap of 10-20 of loot items onto vehicles
• Players can carry two primary weapons
• Some type of victory quote when Blackout is won
• No other AI enemies, possibly in the future
• No third person, 3arc make “first person shooters and put them on the internet”
• James Harden may have inadverently disclosed BO4 was upcoming title when wore a hat with the logo in May 2018
• Game tuning, item tuning, progression rates etc being worked on
• No information on Blackout will be available as a standalone title
• Final circle is largely random on map but can sometimes be “directed”, not too much on water, usually on construction sites for examples
• Vahn says Camping playstyles will not win games
• Players can find Ruin’s grappling hook on the map and use this
• New characters confirmed, your own icon
• Fall damage confirmed
• Vehicle horns can be honked
• No different weather, can see in good weather conditions but may change as Blackout progresses
• Firing Range and Nuketown Island confirmed (surrounded by water)
• Nuketown Island has mannequins
• Little Bird is a small helicopter in Blackout (no big helicopter named Big Bird – copyright issues)
• Possible, planned Blackout emotes – Melee weapons in Blackout
• involves Zombies
• When Vahn is asked about Zombie lore/fans “Nova gas symbology, circle outside (???)”
• Raven are making a game with 3arc
• Vahn is a fan of SHG’s Prop Hunt, expect to see this in MP
• No HQ in BO4
• Vehicles (5 confirmed)
• boat, 2 cars, little bird
• Vahn wanted wingsuit during introduction to BO4 but opted for parachuting
• No voiced lines/dialogue between characters in BO4
• At least one Mason in Blackout
• Lots of requests to play as Zombies (no information on whether this is possible, ruled out JFK, Kimmel)
• No cross platform play
• 20 characters to choose from at Blackout launch, possibly 22
• Beta will try to include all characters available at launch
• Introduction to characters at compact, small
• Possible relationships between specialists
• Difficult to run at 60 fps at Blackout size, but 60 fps is a consistent target and can be hit
• No FPS lock – Circle of Nova Gas possibly, but being caught outside circle is bad news
• No free run in Blackout, but there are references to this in Blackout

Also revealed today via Game Informer’s cover issue blowout are the confirmation of zombies being part of Black Ops 4’s battle royale mode, which will be capped at 80 players in a match at least for launch.

While Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s battle royale mode will only let 80 players in any given match — at least at launch, developer Treyarch has something up its sleeve in order to make sure that its version of the mode will stand above the rest.

In case the headline wasn’t a dead (geddit?) giveaway, Treyarch has confirmed that the Black Ops 4 Blackout mode will have AI-controller zombies! This was revealed to Game Informer today, as the magazine has announced that Black Ops 4 is the cover game for October. According to the mag, they’ll break down how the zombies figure in Blackout, and “how they can be both a pest and a boon to your efforts to be the best warrior in the battlefield.”

In other Black Ops 4 Blackout news, make sure to check out this post to know the exact date and time when the Blackout beta will be available. If you played the multiplayer beta, don’t forget to NOT delete the beta client, as it’ll be used for the Blackout beta as well.

Are you OK with the inclusion of zombies? Or will it just add a layer of randomness to Black Ops 4’s battle royale mode? Let us know what you think below.

While most battle royale games have a player limit count of 100 players in a match, that won’t be the case with Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s battle royale mode, Blackout.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is Game Informer’s October cover game, and with that comes a month-long look at the game’s Blackout mode. Talking to Treyarch co-studio head Dan Bunting and Studio Design Director David Vonderhaar, the duo revealed that the Black Ops 4 battle royale player count will be at 80 — at least during the beta. Things could change come launch or even post-launch, and even Bunting admitted that the studio has tested 100 players internally, though they’re putting the quality of the gameplay first rather than hitting that 100-player number just for the sake of it.

What’s really more important to us than a number is that the gameplay experience is as refined as it can be, that’s it the ideal perfect format for what players are going to play.  So we’re starting with 80 players, but we’ve gone higher than that. Whenever we launch a game as a beta or whatever, that’s the beginning of something. We’re going to actively be participating in the community and taking feedback, making changes and adapting, evolving the game as feedback rolls in. So there’s a lot that can go on that can happen beyond that first impact of the game going out there. – Dan Bunting

Surprised at this revelation? Disappointed? Personally, I’d rather have a seamless, enjoyable experience than be concerned about the player count in matches, but that might just be me.

In related news, make sure to read up on the exact times the Black Ops 4 Blackout beta will roll out and start.