The developers at Treyarch have been quick to refute rumors that the PC development team for Black Ops 2 is made up of less than ten developers, and that the game’s PC version will suffer as a result of the studio’s low focus on its development.
According to the PC development team, which communicates to fans of the game through the Twitter account @pcdev, the PC team is said to be “substantial”, and comprises of many software engineers, with production, QA, and anticheat staff—not counting external teams tied to the development of the PC version.
The external teams are said to include “netlab, compatibility lab, localization, installer group, partners like Nvidia, Intel, AMD, etc, etc, etc.”
It goes without saying that anyone concerned about the development of the PC version of Black Ops 2 is severely underestimating the size of the team and the amount of work they’re putting into its development for the PC.
Disappointingly, in spite of the support the PC version will be getting, Treyarch says that players on the PC will be forced to use the matchmaking system built for the console versions of the game, with no server browser or mod support.
In addition to the news of the PC version’s development, the Call of Duty UK website has accidentally let slip that Black Ops 2’s DLCs will be available through a season pass—not dissimilar from what Borderlands 2 and Darksiders 2 offer. The season pass appears to be different from any plans Activision may have for a Call of Duty Elite service for Black Ops 2.
The leak (via mp1st) reads as follows:
THE ULTIMATE WAY TO GET MORE OF CALL OF DUTY®: BLACK OPS 2.
4 EPIC DLC MAP PACKS – 1 GREAT PRICE AT $10 OFF*Get 4 Call of Duty®: Black Ops 2 downloadable content Map Packs, delivering a variety of new content, including Multiplayer and Zombies playable content.
– Save $10, at discounted suggested retail price of £34.99*
– Content expected to be available in 2013 – following the game’s launch on 11/13/12
– Check for availability at your local Game Stop or Best Buy.*Based on Season Pass suggested retail price of £34.99 and four DLC Map Packs at a suggested retail price of $14.99 each.
**Season Pass and DLC Map Packs may not be available on all platforms or in all territories. Pricing and release dates may vary by platform. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 game required; sold separately
The PC version of Black Ops 2 is being released simultaneously with the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game. It’s slated for release on November 13.
