It’s hard to tell if a single multiplayer map can sell a $60 video game. But it could happen. Game publisher Activision and studio Treyarch announced today that the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops III will include a reimagined version of the Nuketown multiplayer map.
The new map, dubbed Nuk3town, will be refreshed for the new game, which is set in the year 2065, and allow for the new momentum-based chained-movement system, which enables players to run on the sides of walls and pull other tricks while moving. Black Ops III debuts on November 6 on the PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Fans who preorder the game will receive the Nuk3town downloadable bonus map as an in-box download code.
“The Nuketown maps have a special place in Call of Duty multiplayer history, and we can’t wait to build upon that heritage in Black Ops III,” said Mark Lamia, the studio head of Treyarch, in a statement. “We carefully adapted the design of the map to make sure that it fit with our new movement system, but to also make sure that we retained the spirit and the fun that made fans fall in love with it in the first place.”
The popular map debuted in the original Call of Duty: Black Ops, and it returned in Call of Duty: Black Ops II as Nuketown 2025, with an updated look and feel representing the home of the future. As Nuk3town in Call of Duty: Black Ops III, the new map will once again delivers quick-hitting action that’s suitable for all game types.
Black Ops III multiplayer offers players the ability to move fluidly through custom-built environments with finesse, all while maintaining complete control over their weapon at all times. Treyarch also introduces its new Specialist system, which lets players choose and rank-up nine elite Black Ops soldiers, each with their own look, personality, voice and battle-hardened weapons and abilities.
I was never a big fan of Nuketown myself, as it’s a small map without a lot of interesting features. But I’ve run into many Call of Duty players who swear by it over the year.s