Black Ops is the ‘most played series’ in Call of Duty history, Activision reveals

Anyone questioning why Treyarch would stick with the Black Ops storyline, rather than explore an entirely new one, need only look at the popularity of the first two games in the series, Black Ops and Black Ops 2.

According to Activision, Treyarch's Black Ops storyline is the most played series in Call of Duty history.

Speaking during the company's Q1 earnings call to investors, Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg revealed that nearly 100 million players have played Black Ops and Black Ops 2, adding that the latter still exhibits continued engagement among players.

"Nearly 100 million players have played Black Ops and Black Ops 2, making Black Ops the most played series in Call of Duty history," Hirshberg said. "In fact, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 originally released in 2012, continues to exhibit record-setting engagement this long after release with millions of actively engaged players who are now eager for the next installment of the series."

Response to Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 has been mostly positive, researchers found, despite a vocal minority calling for Activision to return to the pre-Advanced Warfare setting. Black Ops 3 was officially revealed last month, drawing comparisons not just to Black Ops and Advanced Warfare, but Destiny, Titanfall, and even Deus Ex.

Despite similarities Black Ops 3 may have with all those games, Activision maintains that Black Ops 3 is improving upon those already-established gameplay systems. Treyarch is making the most of its three-year development cycle, adding the ability to play the entire campaign as co-op with up to four friends, as well as Specialist classes for multiplayer that boast unique powers and weapons.

The extra development time also means Activision is able to give press earlier looks at the game, and Black Ops 3's multiplayer will be shown off at E3. Additionally, Activision will be holding a beta for Black Ops 3 later this year that'll be available for anyone who pre-orders the game on Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 will release on November 6, 2015.