14 DAY TRIAL // A developer of the PC version of Call of Duty: Black Ops has confirmed on the title's official forums that at some point after the official launch Treyarch will make modding tools available. Furthermore, the developer console was confirmed.
A Treyarch employee, writing under the self-explanatory nickname pcdev, has made clear that modding tools will be available at some point after the launch.
It seems that the studio is not pulling any punches in assuring that Black Ops will appeal to the largest number of gamers possible.
The developer wrote that, “We plan to open the game up for modding sometime post-launch. We do not know yet to what extent you will be able to mod the game.
“There are some purely technical issues related to engine and internal tool enhancements that do not easily fit the modtools paradigm. We have looked at it close enough to see that it is non-trivial and we will have to pick it up again post-launch.
“Right now we are completely focused on finishing the game. And, dev console: confirmed,” he concluded.
This is another set of PC-specific features that are set to return in Black Ops, alongside dedicated servers and the lean function.
All of these were removed by Infinity Ward in Modern Warfare 2, attracting the outrage of many PC gamers. The stiff competition Treyarch's shooter is facing this year across all platforms has probably prompted the return of these characteristics.
Both Medal of Honor and Crysis 2 do have dedicate servers for example. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 proved to be quite a successful in the piracy-ridden PC market, mainly because of the presence of such facilities, even if they were more limited than usual.
Call of Duty: Black Ops will be released on the PC, the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 on the 9th of November 2010.