Is another Black Ops map pack coming May 3?
Update: The map pack is confirmed.
The launch details for the second Call of Duty Black Ops map pack may have been leaked, thanks to a retailer error. Call of Duty Black Ops Escalation is scheduled to arrive on May 3, according to VG247.
Australian retailer GAME accidentally leaked information about the second map pack on its web site and then pulled it. As proven by sales of previous Call of Duty map packs, the launch of this kind of downloadable content is as huge as a new blockbuster game on the consoles.
The new map pack will have five maps entitled Zoo, Hotel, Convoy, Stockpile, and the zombie map Survive. The price wasn’t listed, but previous map pack First Strike was sold on Xbox Live for 1200 Microsoft Points, or $15. We are checking with Activision Blizzard for comment. (See the smack talk from EA’s chief executive about Call of Duty).
Call of Duty Black Ops is one of the best-selling video games of all time, with sales of more than $1 billion since the launch in November. Activision Blizzard previously launched its First Strike map pack in February.
As we noted before, if video games are the new Hollywood, map packs and downloadable content are smart ways to satisfy the insatiable thirst that some gamers have for sequels. Instead of coming years later, though, these downloadable expansions to existing games keep players addicted to a recently released title.
Activision Blizzard said some time ago that it had sold more than 20 million Call of Duty map packs, generating more than $300 million in sales. So it’s clear that map packs are a big business, and video game publishers may want to avoid publishing rival games on May 3, since gamers will be a little busy.
GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here!
