In an interview with EuroGamer, Dan Bunting (Co-Studio Head of Treyarch) shared some new light on the Battle Royale mode coming to Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 called Blackout.

One of the things Bunting revealed is that ideas for the Battle Royale mode began in early last year, as many of the Treyarch developers were fans and play Battle Royale games.

“It’s no secret to anybody in the industry that battle royale took the world by storm when it first hit early last year. Our team is a team of intense gamers. Of course, we play the games everybody plays. We were playing a lot of different games early last year and it was clearly a phenomenon that was going to change the game industry. Our thinking started to formulate around that time.”

Bunting states that they invested in a new technology called superterrain in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 to help them “paint terrain into the map in a fast and fluid way.”

“We have been developing advanced engine tools for our developers to be more effective and more efficient in building large open spaces for a long time.

This game, actually, from the early days we started a heavy push to build a new technology we call superterrain. It allows our artists and level designers to essentially paint terrain into the map in a fast and fluid way, and also build it into a massive open space that can stream very easily and efficiently for the engine. That was a technology we started working on very early in this project. It has proven to be a really strong investment. It’s overhauling what our team is capable of building.”

Bunting also confirmed to EuroGamer that they are committed to deliver 60FPS in the Battle Royale mode.

Beyond this, a big question still up in the air is how many players will be in the Blackout Battle Royale mode. Some analysis of the trailer said there could be 140 players, but Treyarch is not committed to a number.

“Yeah. It’s still a game in active development. We’re always fine tuning the appropriate amount of players for any experience, and this is no different. We’re still fine tuning the details. Our approach on this is, it’s not really about player count, because at the end of the day it’s about whatever that experience is designed to be optimised for and to have the most fun in. Our goal is not to strive to hit the highest player count. Our goal is to deliver the best, most Black Ops experience we possibly can.”

Bunting says that the number of players is “multiples higher than the highest we’ve ever done.”

The highest Call of Duty has ever had in a single MP match is 18 with Ground War. Sledgehammer Games went further in a social space, Headquarters, showing up to 48 players.

SOURCE: EuroGamer