Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's battle royale mode will have AI-controlled zombies

Treyarch hasn't said much about how Blackout, the battle royale mode in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, will set itself apart from the crowd. It will have land, sea, and air vehicles, the studio explained in a recent rundown, and locations "inspired by classic maps," like Firing Squad and Nuketown. As reported by Game Informer, we've learned now the it'll also have AI-controlled zombies.

The report doesn't specify what exactly the zombies will be doing in the midst of all that royale battling, saying only that they are intended to "introduce even more chaos into this hectic free-for-all." But it teases that zombies in Blackout "are a bit different from the traditional mode," and "can be both a pest and a boon to your efforts."

We'll get a proper idea of what it's all about in a little less than a week, if not sooner: The Black Ops 4 Blackout beta starts on September 10 on the PlayStation 4, and September 14/15 (depending on whether or not you've preordered) on PC. The full release is set for October 12.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.