Black Ops 2 developers Treyarch have revealed that the new Black Ops title will not require new engine technology.
In the latest installment, developers are using the modified version of the same 3.0 Infinity Ward (IW) engine - IW 3.0 powered Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
"People always ask me, 'Is this a new engine?' said Treyarch Studio CEO Mark Lamia, in an interview with One of Swords.
"I liken it to people who live in an older house that has been remodeled. Just because you're remodeling the house and it will look new or it will have a new kitchen, you don't tear out the foundation, or break out some of the framing. You might even go as hardcore as replacing the plumbing, and we will do that sort of thing, as an analogy," added Lamia.
Developers modified the game's visuals while maintaining the identity of the series to make it revolutionary. Black Ops 2 runs at 60 frames-per-second with tweaked gameplay. Zombies Mode returns, making this the first time in the series where Zombies has been included in the main story. Black Ops 2 will also implement the multiplayer engine to offer a deeper community experience with new game modes.
"Well, I have a new graphics engine - is that a new engine? Where does it start and stop? Elements of the code, you can trace back for a very, very long time... but whole parts of the code are entirely new. Two areas we did focus on for this game were the graphics and the lighting - a pretty significant amount of work is going into that," Lamia added.
The new additions may be what it takes for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is set to break the pre-order records of Modern Warfare 3 sales.
With Call of Duty: Black Ops considered an action series darling with over 25 million copies sold in 2010, the sequel is something that fans are anticipating for. Developers have been positive about the game breaking records and jumping ahead of its predecessors including Modern Warfare 3 with pre-order sales.
"Although it's very early, we're also incredibly pleased with the pre-orders, which in the first week since reveal are tracking ahead of the record-breaking pace set by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3," Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing told investors during the company's quarterly profit announcement.
"We've also been extremely pleased with early consumer response and engagement. The Black Ops 2 reveal trailer was the most watched video of the day on YouTube and views were up 82 per cent compared to the reveal trailer for Modern Warfare 3. During our launch, we had 5 of the top 9 U.S. top-trending topics on Twitter at the same time. And Facebook traffic is 43% higher than the prior year," Hirshberg added.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is set to be released on November 13, 2012 for PC, PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. It is the ninth game in the Call of Duty franchise and the sequel to Call of Duty: Black Ops.
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