Call of Duty: Black Ops

Call of Duty: Black Ops is a 2010 first-person shooter game developed by Treyarch and published by Activision. It was released worldwide in November 2010 for Microsoft Windows, the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360, with a separate version for Nintendo DS developed by n-Space. Aspyr later ported the game to OS X in September 2012. It is the seventh title in the Call of Duty series and a sequel to Call of Duty: World at War.

Set in the 1960s during the Cold War, the game's single-player campaign follows CIA operative Alex Mason as he attempts to recall specific memories in order to locate a numbers station set to instruct Soviet sleeper agents to deploy chemical weapons across the United States. Locations featured in the game include Cuba, the Soviet Union, the United States, South Vietnam, China, Canada, and Laos. The multiplayer component of Black Ops features multiple objective-based game modes that are playable on 14 different maps included with the game. Improvements to loadout options and killstreak rewards are made. A form of virtual currency, COD Points, allows players to purchase weapons and customization options for their in-game character, as well as attachments and customization options for their weapon.

Development for the game began in 2009. Whereas Treyarch worked on both World at War and the tie-in video game for the James Bond film Quantum of Solace simultaneously, they focused specifically on Black Ops during this development cycle. Different teams within Treyarch focused on a certain game mode. Black Ops runs an enhanced version of the IW 3.0 engine used in World at War. The improvements made allowed for bigger campaign levels to be made as well as enhanced lighting. Music was composed by Sean Murray, with licensed music by the Rolling Stones, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Eminem appearing in the game. Avenged Sevenfold also recorded an original song for the game as well. The marketing of the game began in April 2010.

The game received generally positive reviews from critics with praise for its story, voice-acting, darker tone and multiplayer modes, although some criticized it for its linear gameplay and technical issues. Among other awards and nominations, Call of Duty: Black Ops was nominated Game of the Year by numerous media outlets and award shows, including the Interactive Achievement Awards, British Academy Games Awards, and Spike Video Game Awards. Within 24 hours of going on sale, the game had sold more than 5.6 million copies, breaking the record set by its predecessor Modern Warfare 2 by some 2.3 million copies. The game had sold over 25 million copies worldwide, making it, at the time, the best selling game of all time in the United States, and it remains one of the best-selling games of all time. A sequel, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, was released in 2012. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, set between Black Ops and Black Ops II, was released in 2020.