Call of Duty Black Ops III details

Treyarch and Activision have confirmed Black Ops III will be released 6 November this year.

First to note, and probably the most exciting news to come to the latest in the CoD franchise, is that there will be a four-player co-op story campaign, meaning that you’ll be able to explore the campaign with someone or a team of friends.

Speaking to xboxachievements campaign director and senior executive producer Jason Blunder said the studio had “to make some fundamental changes to the gameplay formula” when they decided it was going be a co-op campaign.

Of those changes bigger environments would be required to hold four players, as well as new AI systems.

But you’ll also be able to play split screen with two players per console. Xboxachievemnts also notes that Treyarch has dropped Quick Time Events from the campaign.

Zombies will also be making a return to the game, one of Treyarch’s trademarks, with Mark Lamia, studio head, saying “No Black Ops title would be complete without Treyarch’s zombies”.

He went on to say that zombies will have its “own full player XP-based progression system” and that the zombies will be nothing like the campaign or multiplayer offerings.

Finally, Lamia confirmed there would be a public beta later this year for those that pre-order the game.

Lamia said that he just wanted the players to “get their hands on the game” so they could get feedback before release.

And for those attending E3, the multiplayer component of the game will be on the show floor.

And finally, Treyarch are introducing a Specialist System, a group of nine different personalities who have different backstories, weapons, abilities and physical characteristics. These are the playable characters and are fully customisable, but the weapons systems and abilities stay the same.

The weapons and abilities are designed as mid-level powers and can be used once per match. They’re on cooldown timers, which means you can’t just rinse your powers unfairly, but it gives all players a level playing field.

Xboxachievements are reporting that there will be nine specialist classes at launch and have listed the first four, which we’ve done below.

Finally, you’re probably looking for the trailer, so scroll down to the bottom of the page for that.

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Callsign: Ruin AKA Donnie Walsh

“Raised in a military family in a tough neighbourhood, he is fearless and headstrong, an infantry soldier through and through. He uses his unique abilities to rush into battle and surprise the enemy with sheer force.”

Weapon: Gravity Spikes – an area of effect shockwave weapon. Can be slammed into the ground when in the air or used while stood on the ground.

Best used: To clear out a room or drop in and clear out an objective. Devastating range at the moment, likely to be balanced a little bit before launch.

Ability: Overdrive – A burst of speed that accelerates all movement for a short period of time.

Best used: In objective games, to grab a flag and run it out of areas of danger, or to get back into the action if you spawn a fair distance away.

Callsign: Seraph AKA Zhen Zhen

“Militant enforcer of the 54I crime syndicate's rule of law. She is known for her focused and unflinching combat discipline, striking fear within the ranks of the cartel.”

Weapon: Annihilator –high-caliber revolver with penetration rounds, meaning you can take down more than one foe with one bullet.

Best used: To take down targets with relative ease. Range isn't incredible. Keep it close-quarters combat when activated.

Ability: Combat Focus – triggers a bonus multiplier for score.

Best used: To accelerate your score towards a Scorestreak. Should be reserved for skilled Call of Duty players.

Callsign: Outrider AKA Alessandra Castillo

“Developed keen observation skills growing up in the streets of the Favela, traversing the rooftops to watch the action of the city below, and this earned her a place in the ranks of the Brazilian Special Forces. She outsmarts enemies by finding them before they have a chance to know what hit them.”

Weapon: Sparrow – a compound bow with explosive rounds

Best used: When taking on foes at distance. Explosive head means you can cause damage to other foes with splash damage. Warning, needs time to pull back the bow, but is a one-hit kill if you hit someone.

Ability: Vision Pulse – allows players to tag enemy locations within a certain range.

Best used: In tight combat situations, especially when people are surrounding an objective.

Callsign: Reaper AKA Experimental War Robot (EWR)

“Started as an expensive military R&D project to supplement Special Operations soldiers in the field, the EWR was a cutting-edge prototype combat robot, the most advanced in the world at the time. Budget overruns and embarrassing political incidents left the project all but a resource for scrap metal, except for the one prototype that remained.”

Weapon: Scythe – EWR's robotic arm turns into a high-power mini-gun.

Best used: When taking on more than one foe. Completely devastating, possibly overpowered at present time.

Ability: Glitch – By far the most innovative ability, Glitch allows you to jump back to a previous position on the battlefield (roughly about 5 seconds ago).

Best used: When you're in a sticky situation, either if you run into a large firefight where you're outnumbered, or if someone is behind you chasing you. Particularly useful if you're wall-running into danger.