The rumors were true all along; Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is getting a battle royale mode called Blackout. The new offering features the largest map in the entire series, one that is 1,500 times larger than Call of Duty's iconic Nuketown map. It will be a celebration of the entire Black Ops franchise, as it will include weapons, characters, and map locations from all four titles.

The battle royale genre of shooter has taken gaming by storm thanks to the popularity of Playerunknown's Battlegrounds. What started as a huge deal on PC quickly spread its way to consoles due to a Xbox One port, and Epic Games' free-to-play Fortnite managed to turn it into a full-fledged phenomenon. Call of Duty joining the trend so soon will likely be massive as well.

Related: Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Multiplayer Trailer Revealed

Treyarch says that they had to do battle royale in a unique way, and they're doing that by adding in land, sea, and air vehicles. Other confirmed features for Blackout include traps, RC-XDs, and even zombies are set to appear in what looks to be one of the most ambitious battle royale games yet. You can watch the reveal trailer in the section above.

"Blackout is an experience unlike any other game or mode in Call of Duty history, where players will have to scavenge, strategize, compete and survive to win. Featuring the largest map ever built in Call of Duty – 1,500 times bigger than Nuketown – Blackout thrusts players into a collision course as they play as classic characters spanning the history of the Black Ops series including the original Call of Duty Zombies Origins cast. Battling solo or in teams, players will engage in diverse combat complete with ground, air and sea vehicles across a gamespace unlike anything ever in Call of Duty. Players will encounter fan-favorite Black Ops map locations and call upon a massive arsenal of Black Ops weaponry and equipment as the winner-takes-all action creates a new way to play Call of Duty."

Considering Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 won't have a single-player campaign, this sort of new multiplayer mode was desperately needed to fill the void. While some won't be happy with the removal of the story mode, there's no denying that players will spend more time with Blackout than any campaign. This will become a part of gamers' nightly routines, rather than just something they play once and never go back to. The good news is that Treyarch isn't just hopping on a trend; they are adding new ideas into the mix. That's how a growing genre will improve rather than stagnate.

From a business perspective, this is a huge mode. Nothing in multiplayer shooters is hotter right now than battle royale, so having this at launch will add a new wrinkle to the competitive landscape. It won't just be Playerunknown's Battlegrounds and Fortnite anymore, as the largest franchise in all of gaming is looking to get involved. It remains to be seen what will happen, but one way or the other Blackout will have huge ramifications on the genre.

More: Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 - Everything You Need to Know

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 releases on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on October 12, 2018.

Source: Activision