Snipers intentionally overpowered in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War alpha test

By Aaron Mamiit Published April 25, 2023

Treyarch revealed that sniper rifles are intentionally overpowered in the PlayStation 4 alpha test of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, as players noticed how lethal the weapons are in the game.

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The Black Ops Cold War alpha test, which was announced at Sony’s recent PlayStation 5 livestream, gave players their first glimpse at the gameplay of the next entry in the Call of Duty franchise. It was also an opportunity for Treyarch to receive early feedback ahead of the game’s official release.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the PS4 Alpha! Be sure to leave us your feedback here: https://t.co/VhlqVOXx2z

We'll see you soon in the Open Beta. 👊

— Treyarch (@Treyarch) September 20, 2020

Players who logged on to the alpha test quickly realized the effectiveness of sniper rifles, particularly the speed of the weapons’ ADS, or aim down sights. The combination of power and nearly instant aiming made sniper rifles the weapon of choice for most players who participated.

Apparently, Treyarch deliberately buffed sniper rifles to evaluate their performance, according to lead game designer Tony Flame.

Ok let's talk Sniping in Cold War.

Crossplay is coming, but we knew it wouldn't be in Alpha. We buffed Snipers to evaluate their performance in this Alpha specifically. Sniper Rifles WILL have balance changes for the upcoming Beta based on our analytics data this weekend.

— Tony Flame (@Tony_Flame) September 18, 2020

This will be a welcome change to bring balance to Black Ops Cold War in future tests and its launch, though sniper specialists are hoping that Treyarch maintains the power of the weapons in the game.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War beta

The next test for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will be on October 8, in a beta test that will be made available to players who pre-ordered the game through the PlayStation Store. The beta will open up to all PlayStation 4 players on October 10, and then to Xbox One and PC players on October 15.

Black Ops Cold War will send players back to the struggle for world dominance between the U.S. and the Soviet Union when it releases on November 13.

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