Activision and PlayStation have announced that PlayStation 4 players will get a chance to go hands on with Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War MP. 

They have announced the Black Ops Cold War Open Alpha, available exclusively on the PlayStation 4 platform. 

The Open Alpha will be available starting September 18 and ending on September 20. 

This Open Alpha will be available for PS4 players regardless of preordering the game. It’s open to all players on PS4. No PS+ required, either. 

PlayStation 4 owners can also get a taste of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Multiplayer through an exclusive Alpha weekend, complete with multiple modes, maps, and a preview of the Create-a-Class and Scorestreak systems. Pre-load begins September 17 at 8 a.m. PDT. The Alpha kicks off on September 18 at 10 a.m. PDT and is set to conclude on September 20 at 10 a.m. PDT.  

Pre-loading of the open alpha will begin on Thursday, September 17. It is a 25GB file.

Black Ops Cold War Alpha will feature the MP mode playable, giving fans a chance to give the Treyarch team feedback on the game ahead of the game’s Open Beta incoming in October, then launch on November 13. 

For Xbox One and PC players, there will be no Alpha publicly available. Xbox & PC players can get a chance to go hands on with the game with the Open Beta, which arrives October 15 in early access for preorders and October 17 as an Open Beta, ending on October 19. 

SOURCE: PlayStation 

Call of Duty has grown exponentially over the past decade with new content creators, news accounts, groups, and more forming from their passion and love of this extended franchise. 

One of those groups that has stemmed from the Call of Duty franchise is KARNAGE Clan. The group was originally founded in 2011 as a clan on the Call of Duty: ELITE service that existed with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. KARANGE started with competitions in ELITE’s Clan Operations, which put clans head to head in objective battles as part of its premium service. 

From the success of playing and finding friends in Clan Operations, the team created a YouTube channel and picked up many players from the community that were pubstompers in the matches. 

Recently, the team has expanded to bring on new personalities and build communities not just around each of the new team members but also the clan itself. 

The Clan was founded by Landon, who goes by KRNG Apollo online, in 2011. 

“In 2011, I founded KARNAGE with the hopes to meet other passionate Call of Duty fans to game with never guessing what it would evolve into,” said Apollo. “From editing and commentating two videos a day for two years straight back in 2014-2015 to running support for fellow teammates to achieve the craziest of gameplays, I have now taken a more backend approach to operating KARNAGE. Though I still participate in team challenges, coordinate the recording sessions, edit and commentate the majority of the videos I have also taken on other roles in different avenues to make sure the org is growing in a multitude of ways.”

Over the years, KARNAGE has expanded to build relationships with key partners in the gaming industry, including GFUEL Energy, SCUF Gaming, RESPAWN Products, and KontrolFreek. 

And, the team has also expanded to be at events for Call of Duty, including DLC reveal events and new game announcements. 

“KARNAGE has come a long way from where we began and I could not be more proud of the organization we have built together,” said Apollo. “I’ve spent 10 years, half of my life, working on this brand and I could easily see myself doing it for another 10 years. The people I’ve surrounded myself with motivate me each and every day to not only strive to be a better leader, but also a better person. I love the direction we are heading and I am beyond excited for the future.”

Another key member of the organization is DEXB0T. 

Dex joined KARNAGE Clan in 2017 as Content Creator and Social Media Manager, working to operator KARNAGE’s social channels. 

As the Social Media Manager of KARNAGE he handles day-to-day activities across various social media platforms to reach the target audience of fans and supporters of the KARNAGE brand. From the KARNAGE socials, we provide entertaining content to the KARNAGE community which has a strong presence in the Call of Duty scene. We also use feedback from our followers and viewers, as well as the Call of Duty community provide feedback and tips to the gaming developers, as well. One key thing we try to focus on from the KARNAGE brand is maintaining positivity when delivering content, and providing constructive feedback on topics of discussion.

As a YouTube creator and Twitch streamer, he covers the latest news, events and gameplay in the Call of Duty community. He also collaborates with other members of KARNAGE to bring a unique style of Call of Duty content for the KARNAGE Clan YouTube channel.

KARNAGE has also expanded in 2019 to include Travis, also known as THUMP3R.

He helps drive operations for the overall business of the organization. He serves currently as the Director of Operations for the clan. THUMP3R has been around the Call of Duty scene for a long time. 

“I originally got into the comp scene by playing in tournaments and joining GB teams. Eventually this resulted in me getting heavy into Competitive Call of Duty. I joined IPlayCoD because they had great tournaments and a wonderful community that shared my passion for gaming,” said Travis. I fell in love with the IPC brand and the Call of Duty community. I discovered KARNAGE because of their heavy involvement in the CoD community and recognized they shared the constructive attitude that I believe is incredibly important to the development of the community and helping it impact the future of gaming.  I joined KARNAGE because I truly believe there is no other organization better positioned to make a positive impact in gaming while being profitable for itself, it’s members and its partners.”

As the Director of Operations of KARNAGE he assists with the executive direction, communications and marketing strategies for the team. His day to day duties include partnership, influencer and public relations management.

The clan also includes several high profile content creators in different gaming spaces, including Henry, who goes by ProHenis. 

ProHenis joined the team in 2015 to be a commentator for the YouTue channel and record gameplay alongside Apollo. 

“I joined KARNAGE back in July 2015 as a commentator for the team’s YouTube channel & immediately began working alongside KRNG Apollo (Landon) to record gameplay commentaries on top of each gameplay video. Every commentary had a similar format of introducing the gameplay & the player then transitioning into a topic, usually chosen by the commentator,” said Henry. “I would always try and base my commentary topics around trends related to the gaming world, such as gaming events, new titles, and leaks, but also enjoyed talking about things more related to our target audience like going back to school & holiday excitement. My favorite series of commentaries that I ever recorded was the 25 Nuclears of Christmas series that I did back in late 2015, where KRNG Apollo and I went back and forth recording commentaries over 25 Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 nuclear gameplays for the 25 days leading up to Christmas.”

ProHenis also expanded beyond just Call of Duty to also showcase Fortnite gameplay and more on YouTube, with his own YouTube channel gaining immense popularity over the last year. 

“I gained so much experience during my first few months in KARNAGE about learning to record commentaries efficiently, engaging the viewer’s internet, & over time began to master the format of being a gaming commentator.”

His work has also expanded recently to include being the Director of Content Creator for KARNAGE, where he works to help plan and build content for the KARNAGE channel. 

“In this new role, I continue to work alongside KRNG Apollo to help plan & strategize content for the KARNAGE channel by studying the latest trends in the YouTube & gaming industry; always improving the team’s content creation across all social media.”

ProHenis has an exciting future ahead of himself with lots to come in terms of content creator, as well as what’s to come from the KARNAGE channels. 

“Moving forward, I’m incredibly excited to help the KARNAGE organization grow its brand & outreach by continuing to innovate our content. KARNAGE has always focused on high quality & personality driven content that new & longtime fans feel a strong connection with. Our brand & content will undeniably continue to grow & I’m always inspired by our team & fanbase to uphold our core values while we work to make KARNAGE one of the largest gaming organizations in the world.”

Lastly, another key member of KARNAGE and its success story is Jordan, who goes by Espresso online. 

Jordan was one of the first people to join Apollo on building KARNAGE and getting into content creation for Call of Duty. 

“When I think of my “career” in gaming and content creation, I think it is synonymous with KARNAGE Clan. Early on, Apollo was one of the first people to give the young content creator in myself a chance, bringing me on board to commentate Top 5s, weapon breakdowns and other content alike. In many ways, that was the stepping stone that brought me into the interest of pursuing content,” said Jordan. “The communal aspect of a collective chasing similar dreams, turning a hobby and interest into something more. Since then, I’ve done all I can to make sure that while my own brand grows, I can do what is possible to help progress KARNAGE as well. It’s always been a home and a family to me.” 

Espresso has been part of the Call of Duty community for a while, and has been to numerous Call of Duty capture events over the years. He’s now focused on content creation on his channel, which has over 360,000 subscribers, and focuses exclusively on Call of Duty. 

“Currently, I am working full time as a content creator and looking to get into the streaming space seriously as well. With the recent reveal of Black Ops Cold War’s multiplayer, I saw a renewed excitement for creation as what always comes around with each new year. I am greatly looking forward to seeing what the new year brings, both personally and on a level for KARNAGE.” 

“Personally, I’d love to reach a level of half a million subscribers within the coming year and I’d additionally love to see KARNAGE hit one million. We’ll see where the future takes us but for now, we take it day by day.”

Beyond content creation for his own channel, Espresso also works as the Director of Strategy for KARNAGE Clan, where he designs and identifies ways for the overall clan to grow and expand. 

“I’m labeled as the Director of Strategy in which, while I may be a little more hands off in the day to day operations as opposed to earlier on in the team’s life, I do what I can to formulate strategies and opportunities to grow the brand and all involved in the team.”

“At the end of the day, my main focus is trying to give those chances to the up and coming creators in the creative space just like how KARNAGE first gave me a chance. If there’s anything I want to do, it’s to help elevate creators to a higher potential and allow them to realize their dreams of taking a hobby and making it something more.”

Checkout the KARNAGE Clan YouTube channel here. 

And see the team’s content house: 

As well as some of the team challenges they’ve done in the past: 

Activision Blog has posted details on how Black Ops Cold War and Warzone will be integrated.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will be available on November 13.

The new blog post details that Black Ops Cold War, along with Warzone, will have cross-play & cross-progression across all platforms.

Here’s the details from Activision:

Cross-Play, Cross-Progression, Cross-Generation

For the first time in franchise history, all fans will experience the next generation of global combat as one community, regardless of the platform or console generation on which they play Black Ops Cold War.

With Black Ops Cold War, an entire Multiplayer party could be comprised of up of to five players who are playing the game across the available five platforms, including next and current generation consoles as well as PC.

Alongside cross-platform and cross-generation play, players will have their profile, progression, and statistics tied to their Activision account. This allows them to switch between platforms, if they choose to do so, without losing in-game progress or identity.

Battle Pass, Store, and Armory Integration with Warzone

Warzone will continue to evolve after the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, interweaving some of Black Ops Cold War’s themes, weapons, and operators into this blockbuster free-to-play Battle Royale experience.

Specifically, both games will share post-launch seasonal content through the return of the Battle Pass system and the Store, as well as share a progression system. At launch, Black Ops Cold War is set to include a brand-new leveling journey that will later connect to Warzone, allowing players to unlock new functional content to be used in both titles. In addition, both games are set to share post-launch seasonal content through the return of the Battle Pass system and the Store.

On top of all new Black Ops Cold War content, Warzone players will still have access to previously earned content: Weapons, Operators, Blueprints, Equipment, Cosmetics, and so on, that they earned during their experiences in Modern Warfare. Please note that previously earned Modern Warfare content is only available and usable in Modern Warfare and Warzone.

This means:

• Those who earned Modern Warfare items in Modern Warfare or Warzone will retain their content when Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War arrives this November.
• All new Black Ops Cold War functional content, such as base weapons and attachments, can be unlocked by playing Black Ops Cold War and Warzone.
• The Battle Pass System will continue to include free tiers, similar to the Modern Warfare Battle Pass system, which will include new base weapons in addition to other categories of items players can earn simply by playing the game
• Battle Passes will launch in tandem with post-launch live seasons, which will include themed content that matches each season’s narrative.
• Players can see the content they will earn or buy through the Battle Pass or Store.
• The Battle Pass and Store will feature a variety of cosmetic content, including Operators, Weapons, Blueprints, Player Identity items, and more.
• There will not be a Season Pass model. Post-launch Multiplayer maps and modes will be free and given to all players simultaneously on all platforms.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will continue this concept through a collaborative effort across multiple studios: Treyarch and Raven Software, along with additional support from High Moon Studios, Beenox, Activision Shanghai, Demonware, and Sledgehammer Games.

SOURCE: Activision