What you didn’t know about Call of Duty Black Ops series

Black Ops is one of several subseries of the iconic Call of Duty, being published by Activision since 2002. The storyline of Black Ops, unlike the first CoD releases, is set from the Cold War to the 1990s, which serves as the setting for the newest part of the series – Black Ops 6, released on October 25th, 2024.

Despite a robust multiplayer mode focusing on team-based skirmishes, the Black Ops series, and the entire Call of Duty franchise, are also known for captivating, intricate story campaigns filled with intriguing plots and secrets. Would you like to learn some of them? Today, we’ll present a few interesting facts from the Black Ops series – both hidden secrets and fun facts that you probably didn’t know!

What you didn’t know about the CoD Black Ops Series?

1. Call of Duty: World at War

The game cleverly incorporates themes from iconic war-focused movies. Examples include a mission where we try to save Pvt. Ryan, referencing the 1998 film Saving Private Ryan, or the encounter with Pvt. Pyle, is inspired by the character of the same name from the 1987 film Full Metal Jacket.

Wonder weapons are unique, distinctive weapons featured in Call of Duty’s Zombie mode. They have unique stats and prove invaluable against the undead. In this installment, however, we can find one such weapon, specifically the Ray Gun, during the main campaign, in the mission Little Resistance. Upon reaching the beach, take a moment to wade through a few puddles until four Shisa statues emerge from the ground, holding this out-of-this-world weapon in their jaws!

Activision

2. Call of Duty: Black Ops

We love those tiny details that root characters in the universe of the series… One such detail is the missing finger on Reznov's left hand (you can notice it in the scene where you get on the lift in Vorkuta). He lost it during an operation in World at War.

Frank Woods, one of the main characters in the Black Ops series, also made his appearance in another Call of Duty installment. Interestingly enough – in a completely different subseries set in another time period, namely Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, where we meet him as an older, retired soldier.

You may have noticed that Agent Hudson is often called “Ice Cube” by one of his team members due to his temperament. Interestingly, Ice Cube (the American rapper, actor, and producer) voices another character from the same squad – Joseph Bowman.

3. Call of Duty: Black Ops II

Another pop culture reference? In multiplayer mode, choose the ‘Meltdown’ map, which takes you to a nuclear power plant. In one of the control rooms, a desk holds a box of pink frosted doughnuts – exactly the kind Homer Simpson would eat at work.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II is the first game in the Call of Duty series to introduce the ability to make choices that influence the storyline and events, leading to multiple different endings.

This is an interesting Easter Egg, although not everyone will experience it. After unlocking a secret ending, you can witness the beginning of a zombie invasion. Just wait long enough during the song – precisely 5 minutes and 3 seconds – and you’ll see the undead climbing the rafters on the left side of the screen.

Activision

4. Call of Duty: Black Ops III

Nuk3town is a well-known multiplayer map in the CoD series – how many times have you accidentally shot at a mannequin, thinking it was an enemy player? It turns out these plastic figures aren’t as harmless as they seem. If you shoot off the heads of all mannequins on the map within 2 minutes, they will come at you like zombies!

Another reference to a different title, this time to the series iZombie, released the same year. During a visit to the morgue, look around the tables – on one, you’ll find a meal setup with ketchup, cutlery, a plate… and a brain. Just like Liv Moore would eat.

5. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4

Though this isn’t an Easter Egg or a secret, it’s an interesting fact worth mentioning – Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 has the largest map of all Call of Duty games.

How did Black Ops 4 appeal to not only die-hard fans of the series and war shooters but also attract new players? Well, in this installment, the creators drew inspiration from games like Fortnite, PUBG, Overwatch, and Halo while implementing various mechanics and innovations.

Another Easter Egg referencing a movie – this time Cast Away (BTW, the developers must really like Tom Hanks’ work…). In multiplayer, on the Contraband map, near the edge (and respawn point), there’s a small wooden shack with some trinkets, a mattress covered by a mosquito net, and in the corner, a ball closely resembling Wilson.

6. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

Throughout the game, you’ll often come across arcade game cabinets showing various older titles created by Activision. Interestingly, you can play them, but only after completing a specific mission. While in the CIA Safehouse, look for a locked gate. To open it, you’ll need to search the building and find the combination for the lock. Once unlocked, you can play on the hidden arcade machine, as well as any other arcade games you previously found or will find later in the game.

Although this is the sixth instalment of the Black Ops series, its story campaign serves as a prequel to a few previous instalments – the events are set on the timeline between Black Ops and Black Ops 2.

Although, as mentioned earlier, the story is set between the events of the second and third games, during the campaign, you’ll also encounter themes referencing events from BO3 and other parts of the series, which, in fact, occurred later… or perhaps earlier? Some moments will make you question what’s real and what might be a result of mysterious mind control.

Activision

7. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Although the developers haven’t confirmed it explicitly, they have suggested that one of the multiplayer maps and missions will take place in the “snowy tundra of Northern Russia,” which strongly indicates a return to Vorkuta from the first Black Ops…. And we encounter Victor Reznov once again in the game!

In the newest Black Ops, you can play multiplayer matches not only on familiar maps but also on completely new ones filled with secrets, hidden passages, and… interactive elements that you can manipulate! An example is the Skylines map, which offers the ability to control the building's security systems (locking and unlocking doors), access hidden rooms, and even use the RC-XD to enter secret corridors that allow you to reach enemy respawn points!

Conclusion

The Call of Duty: Black Ops series is packed with all sorts of interesting tidbits, fun facts, Easter eggs, and secrets. Today, we've only revealed a few of them, entirely skipping the surprise-filled Zombie mode. But rest assured - there's a lot more!

It's high time to complete the Black Ops series and discover them all for yourself! If you want to complete your Call of Duty collection or get the latest Black Ops 6, you can find them all on the G2A.COM Marketplace!