The upcoming PS4 and PS5 versions of Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops 2 will be ports, not remasters, according to an official statement from Activision posted days after the games were revealed. However, no further details about the upcoming Call of Duty ports were revealed.
Activision surprised fans on June 17 with a social media announcement that the first two Call of Duty: Black Ops titles were headed to PS4 and PS5 in July. As of this writing, no precise release date for Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops 2 has been revealed. However, Activision confirmed that Iron Galaxy is the main developer of the upcoming ports.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2 are Not Remasters
Following the PlayStation reveal of Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops 2, questions were raised about whether the upcoming games were remasters or ports. Activision confirmed that the latter was true and stressed that Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2 are not remasters. While the PlayStation ports of Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2 will each have a campaign mode and multiplayer functionality, fans should temper their expectations about other features. Since Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2 were listed for both PS4 and PS5, it is also doubtful that some PS5-exclusive features like Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) or 120hz refresh rates will be utilized. However, it is plausible that the PS5 version could upscale Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2 from 1080p up to 1440p or 4K resolutions.
Since the PS3 ports of Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops 2 were originally rendered at resolutions below 720p, the fact that both titles could be rendered at 1080p or higher on PS4 and PS5 is still a notable endeavor. The reason why Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2 are being re-released on PlayStation consoles is due to the fact that the games originally launched on PS3 alongside the PC and Xbox 360 ports. In short, the PS4 and PS5 are not backwards compatible with the PS3, meaning that some of the PS3's best games are left stranded on the platform without a separate port.
Additionally, the PS3's issues do not apply to the Xbox 360 version of Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2. Given that the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S can play Xbox 360 titles via backward compatibility, a re-release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2 on current-gen Xbox consoles is moot. Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2 utilize Auto HDR and are capable of running at a consistent 60 FPS in single-player and in Zombies mode.
Despite the fact that Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2 will be returning to PlayStation soon, this also means that players will likely have to buy any DLC for the upcoming Black Ops titles all over again. It remains to be seen how the upcoming Call of Duty ports will fare on modern PlayStation consoles.
- Released
- November 13, 2012
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Treyarch
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
- Engine
- iw
WHERE TO PLAY
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer, Local Co-Op
- Franchise
- Call of Duty
- Genre(s)
- FPS
- How Long To Beat
- 9 Hours
Source: Eurogamer