Editor’s Note: A lawsuit has been filed against Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, which alleges the company has engaged in abuse, discrimination, and retaliation against its female employees. Activision Blizzard has denied the allegations. The full details of the Activision Blizzard lawsuit (content warning: rape, suicide, abuse, harassment) are being updated as new information becomes available.
The Call of Duty: Vanguard alpha has officially begun, allowing players to get a small slice of the action. Call of Duty: Vanguard will be available this weekend on PlayStation 4 & 5 and will include a very limited amount of content, but will still give players a feel for the gameplay and weapons. The alpha will also help highlight some of the new features, such as destructible map elements and the ability to blind fire from cover.
As revealed earlier this month, Call of Duty: Vanguard returns to WW2 once again, and it could be the most expansive take on that period the series has seen. In the past, the franchise has only tackled one or two settings at a time, never fully capturing the global nature of the war. Vanguard will cover four of the fronts, ranging from Western Europe to North Africa, providing some variety to the campaign and multiplayer maps. Whether or not this setting will resonate with players remains to be seen, but fans will be able to develop some first impressions starting this weekend.
As announced on the Call of Duty blog, the Call of Duty: Vanguard alpha is now live for anyone with a PlayStation 4 or 5, regardless of pre-order. The alpha will include a new mode called Champions Hill, which mixes Gunfight and Warzone elements in a unique way. Teams fight to reduce each other's lives in a small arena while collecting money and pick-ups to get the upper hand. In-between rounds, players will have a chance to use their cash to buy better guns and killstreaks. The alpha will run from August 27 - August 29, giving players a 48 hour window to experience the game in a small capacity.
The alpha is not expected to come to any other platforms, so other players will have to wait a while. Thankfully, a beta for Call of Duty: Vanguard is scheduled for mid-September on all platforms. While initial access to the beta will be gated to those who preorder the game or get a code, it will feature a period that will open it up to players without those prerequisites. No details have been offered regarding the beta, but players can probably expect traditional modes like team deathmatch to appear.
As of right now, Sledgehammer has promised roughly 20 maps for the full launch of the game, which is the most of any game in recent memory. Although some are weary of a return to WWII, Sledgehammer seems to be taking strides to get people excited about Call of Duty: Vanguard, including giving ample time to try the game ahead of launch.
Source: Call of Duty Blog