Call of Duty: Black Ops II

Local split-screen

The Xbox 360 and PS3 versions support up to four players in local split-screen multiplayer. Up to two players on the same console can also join an online multiplayer match. This two-player limit describes participants sharing one console, not the total number of players in the online match. IGN explicitly documents these features in its Xbox 360 review and describes the PS3 version as similarly featured.

Oliver North, the former US Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel who was involved in the Iran-Contra political scandal of the late 1980s, was a story consultant and helped to promote the game.

Was first announced on 8 November 2011 by Activision Blizzard CEO Robert Kotick, who told investors: "As we focus on 2012, we have a strong product pipeline which features… a new Call of Duty game from Activision Publishing.".

Console rendering

Digital Foundry measured a native render resolution of 880 × 720 on Xbox 360, with 2× MSAA. Its initial PS3 pixel count was 864 × 720, but an update reported evidence of dynamic resolution, so that measurement should not be treated as a fixed resolution or confirmed maximum. Both versions target 60 fps; demanding scenes caused frame-rate drops, with generally higher performance on Xbox 360. The PS3 1.02 patch added visible blur, which a later update reduced. Both versions also support stereoscopic 3D.

Wii U performance

The Wii U version renders at 880 × 720 with 2× MSAA, using horizontal upscaling similar to Xbox 360. It targets 60 fps, but Digital Foundry found substantial frame-rate drops in demanding campaign scenes. Multiplayer performed more consistently. Stereoscopic 3D is not supported. GamePad mirroring caused no appreciable additional performance loss in the tested campaign sequence.

Local multiplayer supports conventional split-screen and a two-player setup with one player on the TV and the other on the GamePad. Nintendo documents support for up to four controllers. The GamePad touchscreen provides multiplayer map, class-selection, and ScoreStreak functions. Digital Foundry found that local multiplayer reduced frame rate while retaining resolution and removing dynamic shadows.

PC graphics settings

The Windows version offers selectable rendering resolutions rather than a single fixed native resolution. Available choices depend on the display and graphics hardware. Its frame-rate menu includes an Unlimited setting, although multiplayer remains capped at 200 fps. Actual performance depends on hardware and graphics settings. NVIDIA documents separate graphics settings for the campaign, multiplayer, and Zombies modes.

Became the largest entertainment launch of all time, grossing over $500m within 24 hours of going on sale. Was eventually surpassed by Grand Theft Auto V, which grossed $800m in 24 hours.