14 DAY TRIAL // Video game developer Treyarch and publisher Activision are announcing that the first downloadable content pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is called Awakenings and that it will be delivered in the first few months of next year on the PlayStation 4 home console.
The two companies are delivering four new maps, called Rise, Splash, Gauntlet and Skyjacked, each of them designed to deliver a new type of experience for those who are playing the multiplayer mode of the first-person shooter.
At the same time, gamers will get access to a new episode in the zombie-focused narrative for Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, called Der Eisendrachen, featuring new enemies and at least one powerful boss.
Treyarch is not yet offering details about the four extra maps but will probably do so using videos in the coming weeks, showing off more of what Awakenings has to offer.
It's unclear whether the studio also has plans to introduce new weapons that gamers can use in the Zombies mode, which is designed for cooperative play.
Awakenings does not yet have a clear launch date, but it will probably be offered before the end of February on the PlayStation 4, with gamers who plan to experience the same content on the Xbox One and the PC having to wait an extra 30-day period.
Traditionally big DLC deliveries for Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 come complete with an update for the shooter that's delivered to tweak the balance of weapons and to improve other aspects of the area, like matchmaking.
The deal between Sony and Activision means that the coming Call of Duty World League eSports event will use PlayStation 4 hardware in 2016, with the qualifying process now taking place on three continents.
Gamers who take part will be able to compete for some significant prizes, and fans can stream matches to see high-level Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 play and learn a few tricks that they can deploy during their matches.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 will get four big DLC drops
Treyarch and Activision are planning to continue the traditional model for the franchise, making sure that as many gamers as possible remain engaged with the shooter over the course of 2016.
Gamers will be a little disappointed with the fact that no new Specialists are being added to Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 but new characters for multiplayer might be delivered in future DLC packs.
The shooter is at the moment the biggest entertainment launch of this year, with initial sales of more than 550 million dollars (490 million Euro) and Activision will derive more revenue from the game as the DLC packs arrive.
A new title in the Call of Duty franchise will arrive in the autumn of next year, but actual details about it will only be offered in late spring of 2016.
Infinity Ward will be in charge of the development process for the coming installment, and it's unclear whether they will create their continuity or use an already existing timeline.