Incoming: Call of Duty: Black Ops Annihilation Maps Hit PS3 July 28th

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Incoming: Call of Duty: Black Ops Annihilation Maps Hit PS3 July 28th

Call of Duty: Black Ops: Annihilation Map Pack for PS3 (Zombies: Shangri La)

First Strike was fun. Escalation rocked. But Call of Duty: Black Ops fans want more – they crave new battlegrounds and new experiences. Black Ops developer Treyarch knows this, so they’ve been busy creating another fresh batch of DLC maps: Annihilation. The newest add-on content will be ready for download from the PlayStation Store starting Thursday, July 28th.

Annihilation features four new standard multiplayer arenas – Silo, Hangar 18, Drive-In and Hazard – and the deadly jungle Zombies experience, Shangri-La. “The goals we set were about quality and variety,” says Treyarch’s Online Director, Dan Bunting. “We wanted to make everything feel unique and distinct.”

Annihilation delivers on those goals with five all-new environments:

Call of Duty: Black Ops: Annihilation Map Pack for PS3Call of Duty: Black Ops: Annihilation Map Pack for PS3

Drive-In: This one-time American movie paradise once showed war movies; now it’s the location for one. The holes in the screen have been filled with snipers. The popcorn is stale, but they’re still serving up hot lead in the concession stand. “Drive-In is a small map, very fast paced,” says Treyarch’s Online Director, Dan Bunting (the nice bearded man from all those behind-the-scenes videos). “It’s similar to Nuketown in that it’s a fast, close-quarters map.”

Call of Duty: Black Ops: Annihilation Map Pack for PS3Call of Duty: Black Ops: Annihilation Map Pack for PS3

Hazard: Ah, the Cuban good life! This swanky golf course features lush greens, oceanic driving ranges, and long-range sniping opportunities straight down its deadly fairway. Never mind getting a hole in one — try not to get lots of holes in you. Those skilled with assault rifles and sniper rifles will enjoy this one.

Call of Duty: Black Ops: Annihilation Map Pack for PS3

Silo: If you’ve ever said to yourself, “This is a great map, but what it really needs are missiles launching right next to my ear, so every time I line up to snipe someone, I pee myself instead” – and really, who hasn’t? – this is the map for you. Muddy sloped terrain, a smattering of construction equipment, and a few carefully placed sniper towers make this military outpost a tactical challenge regardless of game type.

Call of Duty: Black Ops: Annihilation Map Pack for PS3

Hangar 18: This one’s a tribute to the Groom Lake military base where the government developed the SR-71 Blackbird – or, depending on the conspiracy theories you choose to believe, where they stored a recovered alien spacecraft. Either way, you’ll be in an out of buildings frequently here, not to mention using a multi-million-dollar piece of reconnaissance aircraft for cover. But that’s not the only secret project it’s hiding. “Hangar 18 has a couple of fun easter eggs,” hints Bunting. “I can’t talk about them because it would ruin them.”

Call of Duty: Black Ops: Annihilation Map Pack for PS3 (Zombies: Shangri La)Call of Duty: Black Ops: Annihilation Map Pack for PS3 (Zombies: Shangri La)

Shangri-La: Welcome to the jungle, where the Zombies have taken over an ancient shrine. But be extra careful – the environment’s many hidden tricks and deadly traps can be used against you as easily as your undead enemies. “It’s one of the more creative and clever map designs we’ve got so far,” says Bunting with pride. “The diehard fans are really going to appreciate the story hooks in this one as well.”

Annihilation will be available in the PlayStation Store July 28th — less than two weeks away. And as is the custom, the weekend that follows will offer all players double XP in celebration. See you at the drive-in!

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302 Comments

43 Author Replies

  • Screw this, you give it to Xbox first then try to sell it to us a month or so later? Haha…

    • Well, this is not really a surprise, is it? This is due to a business deal, and it’s been in place for two years. Sorry you’re upset — figured it would be good news that you have a date to look forward to, but perhaps not.

  • im so picking this up!!!!!

  • How much will they cost for the PS3?

    • To be determined, but probably in line with previous Black Ops map packs, since it’s the same amount of content (4 MP + 1 Z)

  • They did a better job on this map pack than the others. Too bad I’ve lost interest in this game because there are better games out there

  • I just wish the maps weren’t $15…

  • Maybe.

  • Hello! Mabuhay TPC And PPS Peeps! Yey! i’m on TV!
    Hi Mom! :)

  • Game share with your friends people, split the cost with your buddies and game share it with each other. I like how the maps look really similar to Battlefield, especially the golf course map. Of course though COD maps are tiny cause they wan’t you to have action lol COD is way too arcadish compared to what is available now. Pretty soon it will just be the kiddies on COD. I’m looking forward to Battlefield 3, a realistic military shooter, not this lame crap Treyarch is regurgitating. Why do you think they drop so many lame map packs, cause people are bored with COD and they are trying to reel them back in.

    • Or…maybe you don’t suggest piracy on the official PlayStation blog, huh? If you don’t wan to buy it, don’t buy it, but don’t feel you have the right to take it without paying for it. If you feel it’s worth its asking price, buy it legitimately.

  • It would be cool but idk yet lets see lol

  • All I can say is… it must be hard as a community manager to handle these blog posts. I guess that’s why you’re the manager ;)

    Good luck to you.

    • Hey, people are reacting because they are emotionally invested. They love games and they want to protect what they love. Sometimes it manifests in really inspiring ways that make me proud to be a gamer…and other times I have to just take a deep breath and try to get to the root of the comment, where there’s often a kernel of truth.

  • about time. once that contract expires with microsoft these guys should turn their noses to sony im tired of this whole “play it first on xbox”

  • I’m not paying $14.99 a pop for more broken-ass Call of Duty Multiplayer.

    Make us some Co-Op missions. Make us some more Single-Player missions.

    Make a Barebones mode that is like the Core game, but no Killstreaks.

  • Only ONE good map: Drive-In.

    The rest sucks.

  • Honestly, not interested.

    After purchasing the first map pack, I realized that its just a waste of money. 3 map packs for 45 dollars? Really?Also, Im not getting milked in this time for a terrible porting done by treyarch or whoever ported the game to the ps3.

    Maybe next time…

    On to MW3 and BF3

  • YES!!! im looking forward the map pack since over a month :=)
    good to have a date now :D
    honestly i don’t know why people are hating so much, if not like not buy as simple as that.
    Xbox has the content earlier? big deal people, they have a better bussiness deal, we have a better console :=)

  • Do you know what after the PSN outage we got the Escalation Map packs and i was like i just got the First strike. And now i just got the Escalation and now Annihilation !! Really fast progress by Treyarch..

  • I assume that’s £15 Uk pounds without change of rate …well I’m so happy because I traded-in my copy of black ops for a brand new dual shock controller ready to be used on BF3. Activision are greedy cash cows and their not getting any money of me. People have paid £40 FOR THE GAME plus three dlc of £15. That equals totally £85 What a Rip off.

  • It’s great to see a date for the PSN’s pack release. Instead of spouting irrational frustrations at you for an exclusivity deal for early release with the other console, I’d rather keep my glass half full. Appreciate our ability to have our brothers (and sisters) from other mothers play test the maps and allow us more time to ensure their worthwhile purchase upon their inevitable release to us. But major kudos to you and your levelheadedness with the craziness that always follows a Call of Duty post.

    ————————————————
    -End Prohibition. Support HR 2306-
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  • to be honest playstation really dissapointed me when they let microsoft take over the call of duty franchise.as a result ive lost intrest in buying anymore call of duty add ons or maps. i hate that playstation gamers have to wait a whole month longer for add ons and map packs and still have to pay $15 for it. and no its not a date to look foward to because this “new” map pack is already a month old. so unless your gonna lower the price im not buying, so thanks but no thanks.

  • There’s definitely some hostility and negative criticism inbound, but you have understand why folks are so upset. It really does feel like the CoD brand is non-existent on the PlayStation platform. To give you an idea, a few friends and I were very, very excited to hear that there was a CoD Convention coming, and that it was right here in CA. Even better, 100% of the proceeds are going to veterans! Unfortunately, we then found out that this convention would be an 360 exclusive event. It just feels like absolutely anything CoD related is snatched up and reserved for 360, with PS fans being treated as a second-hand fan base.

    I almost feel like I have to pick up my CoD games in a brown paper bag because it’s not the 360 version. Fans are stuck waiting it out because it’s the only way to get CoD, and waiting is certainly better than never getting it at all. I just hope this stigma changes after MW3. For the first time ever, the CoD series finally has a real, true threat with Battlefield 3. Additionally, the folks at EA/DICE seem to be doing a great job leveling the playing field for the fan base. I do hope you’ll take note of this and make changes in the future.

  • Plzz guys take it easy dont troll you guys need to be like @tamiboi_uchiha he said hi mom tht a good example

  • I get your point, but I also think it’s worth noting that we are talking about a delay, not a denial. That is, the games are out for both platforms, and there’s a biz deal that staggers the DLC release — but other companies have created exclusive content for PS3 which never arrives on other platforms. Batman:AA’s Joker levels, Dead Space 2’s exclusive Extraction content, MK’s Kratos…none of that appears on 360, nor will it.

    PS3 players may have to wait a bit longer than they like, but they get all the COD content before long. Other consoles don’t have the same benefit. These kind of platform bonuses swing both ways, and more often in your favor than I think people are eager to admit.

    TL;DR: Waiting’s a pain, but PS3 gamers have it good.

    And as for COD XP…tickets are platform agnostic. All you have to be is a COD fan; the rest is whatever you bring with you.

    • And yes, okay, Extraction is on Wii, but I mean “not on 360” since 360 was the crux of Shungo’s point. There was a pimped version of DS2 on PS3 that “the other guys” didn’t get and won’t. Y’know.

  • Well having actually commenting back is a start… I still wonder if making the Ps3 version inferior was part of that “Business Deal”?

  • See guys not everything is bad (only if dont have that game) at least i have MK good game talking about mk when rain character comes out

  • Dan Amrich
    Thank you for that last post I think that is the first time I’ve heard that from “Activision” :)

    • Whenever I blog here, I try to address the comments that follow. I did a few other guest spots for earlier Black Ops DLC as well as the final Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock DLC release on PSN.

      People wouldn’t comment if they didn’t care. They’d maybe swear under their breath and then go play games. :)

  • to add on to what shungokusatsu said. that is very true it does feel like us the PS gamers are second hand fan base, like we get the CoD leftovers from xbox 360. and i was excited about the convention here in LA too, i started saving up money as soon as i heard it was coming but after hearing its a xbox 360 exclusive event i really feel like using my money on pre ordering battlefield 3 instead. ive always been loyal to the call of duty franchise since its early days back when medal of honor was trying to be its competition and failed, and im sure millions of PS gamers as well but that loyalty is being repayed by giving everything to xbox and making us wait. i think i rather switch to a game franchise who cares more for its fan base and right now the folks at EA/DICE seem to be doing just that. they seem to be appreciating Playstation users more than activision.

    • Spending your money on a game that looks good to you, I can understand. Not spending your money on an event that you would like to attend simply because it has a co-sponsor that is different from the one you would like…I have more trouble understanding. It’s like saying “I was saving up for a car, but they didn’t have it my color, so I’m going to spend that money on a vacation instead.” Both might make you happy, but you can’t drive a vacation, you know? It’s apples and oranges; other than it’s your money and your choice, they’re very different and I suspect different things would lead you to purchase one or the other in the first place.

      I say this often, and I really mean it: You should always play what makes you happy. That includes multiple games from multiple developers and publishers, because you do have that option, unless you take it away from yourself. It doesn’t have to be either-or, and it’s not even a question of buying, but playing and enjoying (renting, trying a friend’s game, whatever).

  • he is from activition wow! I am with you rcbaseball

  • + 1 NYOSKAR_123
    Yea you can’t doubt that the other consoles version is the best. Weather it just happened that way or what there really shouldn’t be a accuse the Ps3’s tech is more then capable of handling Bops but yet the other console has a better frame rate graphics etc. When it comes to CoD its always 360 this 360 that. I understand that Ps3 gets LBP, UC3, exclusives, etc. Its just disappointing to me a PS3 and CoD fan. :|

  • Since there seems to be no such thing called “taboo” in this particular thread, I think it’s time we lay it all on the line, eh Mr. Amrich?

    So: just what was that delectable numerical value written on Microsoft’s check?

    I know, let’s think back:

    $50 million was Take-Two’s price for two GTA4 expansion packs… maybe ol’ Bobby demanded double or nothing? We know how he likes his bonuses. So that makes it $100 million?

    Oh and what about the “Pre-order now for Xbox 360” that we see on the tail of every Call of Duty ad? Now that’s what I call aggressive. How much do you charge for those? They’re no doubt worth a pretty penny. Hey, maybe half the population has been lead to believe CoD is exclusively on Xbox! Ah, it’s genius! A masterstroke. Now THAT has got to be priceless.

    Gotta love those Microsoft dollars. Such deep pockets… never know when they’ll stop comin’. That’s gotta be a great feeling.

    Microsoft makes it RAIN!

  • is there a sight where i can find CLANS willing to clan battle? FOOT CLAN is 4-1 and is looking for more clans to play. playing TDM with random people is boring now and old.Need clans to play.More fun and pressure.Will MW3 have that option?(Lobby where clans can meet up and set clan battle dates) get back to me..FOOT CLAN owns allllll

  • Mr. Dan Amrich i see what you are saying about those other games but u cant compare those games to the blockbuster call of duty games are. im sure they dont attract the millions and millions in fan base that every single call of duty game you guys come out with draw out. thats why you keep hearing us playstation users complain about the “delay” its a unfair bussiness deal, maybe not for the folks at activision but for the millions of playstion users it is sir.

    • Where I come from, Batman: AA is a blockbuster. Dead Space, blockbuster. Mortal Kombat, blockbuster. I think it’s a fair analogy, in that they are all games in different genres with extremely eager fanbases and high popularity. And like I said, the folks on the other side of the fence are also saying “That’s not fair.” I’m just saying, put it in perspective — I play and enjoy games on both platforms, but fans on each side can point to something they wish they had from the other side.

  • Thanks again Dan Amrich that wan’t a corporate comment :)

  • I just want say i enjoy all the maps brought out to us. Keep up the great work and more sniping positions.

  • @ 31

    Bro, give up. They know it’s not fair for “The millions of PlayStation users”.

    You see, they value Microsoft’s direct deposits more than your heartfelt loyalty & respect.

    It’s okay, my child. Just the way the world works.

    Money talks.

  • Why you skip over my question? quit being a jerk……how come all the people who talk trash get all the attention?

    • I don’t know the answer to your question. I don’t run a clan site. Wasn’t ignoring you, just had no insight. Sorry.

  • I’ve pointed out that exclusivity deals are hardly limited to one console or software publisher. Everybody’s looking for an edge, and it’s a little naive to suggest one successful console-maker is less interested in attracting as many fans as possible to its platform as another.

    The way I see the video game business: I love the video games, and I accept the business. I invest emotions in the former and don’t waste any on the latter. It’s worked so far.

  • Mr. Dan Amrich thank you for replying to my comment. and you are very r we should play what makes us happy and what we enjoy from multiple developers. activision, rockstar games, capcom have alwaya been my favorite developers. but when it comes to the question of what games i spend most of my gaming time in its call of duty thats what makes me happy. but the delaying of the DLC packs frustrates most of the PS users on call of duty. maybe if the delay was shorter it wouldnt be such a big deal. in regards to the event it feels like its more to atrract the XBOX 360 fan base rather than both fan bases. regarless im still debating about atempting to purchase a ticket for it.

  • I appreciate you coming by here dan, it’s nice to see someone from Activision at least trying to answer the hard questions.. I know you’re not heavily affiliated with them, but you are nonetheless.

    I think if we’re all being honest here, what bugs us PS3 users more than anything about these deals is that not only are we forced to miss out (I get it, business is business), but our copies of the game are literal ports from the 360 version. We have a bluray drive in our PS3, and the hardware IS technically superior. These aren’t “Opinions”, but facts.

    And yet despite that, we get a copy of the game that, upon release, BARELY was functional on MP, and took nearly a month or two just to get it working. That alone made it obvious that it received no genuine testing. It’s no secret that Activision and Microsoft love eachother alot. I’d love someone too if they constantly threw money at me. But when we’re getting the shaft not only in DLC, but also development, many of us question whether it’s worth continuing to support the franchise.. just from a “Is CoD enjoyable” standpoint, but from a principle standpoint also.

    • I totally understand the frustrations. I think COD also occupies a tricky space: it’s enormous, so everything it does is magnified. Every bug is going to be seen not by 100,000 people, but 30 million people (that’s the worldwide COD player count on all platforms last I heard). Every little problem is a big problem; every little criticism is a big criticism. And I also understand that it’s a nice problem to have, in one way — look at how many people have high expectations and care about the game, right? I’ve got games in my collection that I enjoy that have bugs, but since they are smaller hits (or sometimes not even hits) they don’t have a rabid fanbase saying “This! This!” so those bugs don’t even get fixed.

      Nothing’s perfect. Every game has something that isn’t as awesome as it should be. But I worry when people take that one step beyond and start making it a personal thing, or cooking up conspiracy theories that ultimately obfuscate a very simple truth: Games are made by human beings, even the giant ones. Those people are trying to make millions of other people happy. Nobody’s out to try to ruin your gaming life, you know?

  • I don’t know how well these maps will sell. Frankly I think black ops has hit it’s peak and is starting to decrease in popularity I know they think these maps are going to sell and be a huge hit and get people back on to black ops and they might do so but I think with all the hype from E3 about all the new games hitting our system this year black ops has just about run it’s course. Treyarch should stop putting out new maps and get back to the drawing board to try and produce another great game

  • I hate when people say it’s a business and they love the game…THAT IS NEVER TRUE!! If you love the video game business than you make everyone happy! Look at the NBA and NFL, players say they love the game, but then money gets in the middle, and see what happens…..LOCKOUTS!! Enough with the [DELETED] MONEY TALKS, and that is the end of the story. If you are a business, then you are in the business to MAKE MONEY/PROFIT. Everything else comes with the money……..

    • If you crack that “make everyone happy” problem, please share it with everybody! :)

      Yes, business is business. It’s not unique to gaming, even. The mom and pop grocery store down the street can’t give all the baked beans away just because someone comes in looking really hungry. All businesses face the same realities at different scales.

      But like I said — I accept that, I don’t celebrate it. I care about the games more than the game industry.

  • see thats all you had to say…thanks buddy..cheers…..

  • regardless of all the stuff we are saying good or bad im just glad someone from activision is listening and maybe take it to the higher ups in the company. i gotta give Mr. Dan Amrich credit for that. thank you for time and for responding to my comments.

  • Hey, I don’t mind the month wait. It’s like XBOX 360 players are doing all the work while the PS3 players reap all the benefits. The Easter eggs look pretty difficult, I on the other hand, find the easy way. Watch youtube see how it’s done then get it done. I love playing zombies just to see how far I can get with a few buddies, not to waste my time figuring out a frickin Easter egg, thanks XBOX fans, you make zombie trophies so easy to obtain. PS3 zombie slayer have it easy. Same goes for multi-player maps, study the maps on youtube so when it’s released on PS3 you don’t have to work on learning the maps. But I don’t play multi-player that much, so that doesn’t matter for me. I’ma zombies kinda guy. That is until MW3 is released!

  • I think the reason Microsoft got the best deals is because they’re an American company and we know Americans have the dollars to dish out and they have the hunger to make the dollars. While Japanese owned sony don’t think money talks [DELETED] walks.

    • Uh…despite being somewhat xenophobic, how does that explain the nice perks the American company EA created for several of its PS3 games recently? I don’t think it’s the rather ugly reason you’re suggesting.

  • I CANT WAIT!!!!!

  • Thanks Dan Armich I have a question, do you know when Xbox’s business deal with the COD’s DLC finish?

  • lol, hey Dan, you know from that little picture of yours you remind me of Farris Bueller. Just thought it was funny enough to mention. [DELETED]!

  • -we get wireless controllers that dont take batteries because they are rechargeable.
    – We get free internet like google, facebook, or even youtube.
    -I personally don’t think the 360 or PSN graphics aren’t all that different

    Now the 360 is not terrible they both have different qualities and some people like certain ones that make them choose xbox. I think xboxs are confusing when you first get one, PS3s are easy to use. xbox basically ripped the controller setting off PSN because they would be almost exact of the analogs were centered. Now i know this has nothing to do with map packs but this is one of the big arguments the PS3 and xbox are having these days. The users use the systems’ different qualities as arguments. When two things have different qualities you cant judge which one is best.

    P.S. I think the PS3 should come with a headset too like the xbox, but other than that the PS3 has had no problems with me, i dont care about the 1 month wait for a map pack, you know you cant have evrything you want so tough it out deal with it, because its just a game.
    Call of The Dead was a little confusing and a litlle tough. Keep up the good work Treyarch.

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