Black Market and Contraband streams added today
The newest update to Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is just in time for Halloween, and it’s a familiar one for anyone who plays other battle royale games. It introduces the Contraband stream, which is essentially Black Ops 4‘s take on Fortnite‘s Battle Pass and PUBG‘s Event Pass. It’s a way for players to unlock customization items through progression in the various game modes.
Each Contraband stream will last approximately two months before rotating out for a new stream. Treyarch has outlined the rewards which include: New characters for Blackout, signature weapons, special outfits, and unique tags and gestures.
The first season of cosmetic content begins today, but only on PlayStation 4. Sony has secured timed-exclusive rights to Black Ops 4‘s DLC, meaning that all of this stuff comes to PS4 a full seven days before landing on PC and Xbox One. So, the very first Contraband stream (which is called Operation First Strike) is available today, October 19, for PS4 users; it’ll be available on PC and Xbox One on October 26.
That week-long exclusivity plays a more crucial role in Black Ops 4‘s upcoming Halloween event. The Contraband streams will have the occasional offshoot subsections for special happenings. Starting tomorrow, October 20, PS4 players can earn Halloween event cosmetics. But, PC and Xbox One players have to wait a week for the Halloween event, meaning they get the green light on October 27. That doesn’t leave a lot of time before the end of the month.
This is most likely where Black Ops 4‘s microtransactions will finally show up. Activision has ditched the premium currency Supply Drops in favor of something different. The Black Market customization hub seems like a good bet. Players who aren’t able to plow their way through all the Contraband stream levels will probably be given the option to buy tiers to instantly bump them up to just-unreachable rewards. Anyone on PC and Xbox One will simply have to grind a lot harder if they don’t want to spend any money.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 – The Black Market, Customization, and Content [Activision Games Blog]
