Update: Black Ops 4's story campaign may be replaced with a Battle Royale mode.

Call of Duty fans looking forward to seeing the single player story of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 could be in for a shock, as it's reported that the game will not have a campaign mode. The title, which is now confirmed as 2018's Call of Duty game, marks the next step in the popular Black Ops subseries of games. Starting with 2010's Call of Duty: Black Ops, the Treyarch-developed series has taken the franchise in a slightly different direction to the core games, instead shifting focus to the near-future with each release.

Along the way, Treyarch has managed to stretch its legs in the single player campaigns, alongside the hugely popular multiplayer modes. From the time-jumping of the first game through to the paranoia of Black Ops 3, the series has generally tried to break a little from the linearity and heavily structured gameplay that Call of Duty is known for. As such, some were intrigued to see what the developer would do next.

Related: Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Release Date, Trailer, News, and Rumors – Everything You Need to Know

As it turns out, it may well be that Treyarch has ditched the single player campaign entirely for this year's game. According to Polygon, who spoke with sources close to the development of Black Ops 4, the title is not going to include a campaign mode. Instead, the game will have a focus on its multiplayer modes alongside the tried and tested Call of Duty zombie mode when it releases on October 12, 2018.

Call of Duty Black Ops Campaign

Although the sources suggest that there has been a greater emphasis on expanding the multiplayer and zombie modes, this could still leave a major hole to fill. However, apparently Treyarch is also looking at further content, and the game could potentially include some cooperative modes to help fill that void. Exactly what the developer has planned will be fully unveiled on May 17, when Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 will be officially revealed to the public.

Although this kind of move could no doubt be disappointing to fans expecting a further single player campaign, it does follow a certain trend. After all, Black Ops 3 even offered players the option to play the campaign in whatever order they chose, jumping from mission to mission. At the very least, it means that there won't be the chance of a shocking campaign segment ending up on a ridiculous violent video game reel any time soon.

This could also tie in with some of the other upcoming Call of Duty plans. It's looking likely that the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 remaster might not have multiplayer, so between Black Ops 4 and Modern Warfare 2 publisher Activision could be looking to cover all bases without one game cannibalizing the success of the other. However, it remains to be seen whether this would be enough to placate fans that feel both games are missing something integral.

More: 15 Times Call Of Duty Games Went Way Too Far

Source: Polygon