Activision’s popularCall of Dutyfranchise will be breaking into the next console generation early withCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. Before the game releases in November, players have gotten the chance to try it out thanks to themost-downloaded beta inCall of Dutyhistory, but it turns out there were deeper secrets to discover in theBlack Ops Cold Warbeta beyond its gameplay mechanics.
In a post to the r/blackopscoldwar subreddit yesterday, Reddit user Neur0r pointed out strings of numbers hidden in background images around the beta menu. By taking those numbers and running them through the CIA’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Electronic Reading Room, where previously declassified documents can be accessed,Black Ops Cold Warfans can pull up a number of documents related to the time period of the upcoming game.
RELATED:What Needs to Change After the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Beta
For example, one document they were able to pick out was “Contact with UHVR (No. 6),” which was filed near the start of the Cold War on June 27, 2025 and declassified in 2007. This report lays out a conversation between a CIA agent and two sources providing information about people in Munich Bunker 1/B-P/5. Others are larger documents like a 1987 Special Review Board report for PresidentRonald Reagan, who appears in theBlack Ops Cold Warcampaign.
It’s hard to tell whether any of the documents picked out by Neur0r or others which might be hidden will play a part in the game’s narrative, but the fact that these numbers are available as Easter eggs is just one sign of how much work has gone into recreating the time period. Some liberties will obviously be taken with history, as shown by the game’sinitially PlayStation-exclusive Zombies mode, but Treyarch and Raven Software have apparently done their research.
BeforeBlack Ops Cold Warreleases, fans of the series can get their zombie fix thanks to Halloween festivities in the battle royaleCall of Duty: Warzone. The currentHaunting of Verdansk event inModern WarfareandWarzoneadds zombie-related modes, new cosmetics based on theSawandTexas Chainsaw Massacrefranchises, and more.
However, those games are only one branch ofCall of Dutythat’s showing a lot of success. Over300 million players have downloadedCall of Duty: Mobilesince it released last year, making it one of the most successful mobile games ever. Whether the attention to detail inBlack Ops Cold War shown by its hidden CIA documents is an indication of its impending success will have to be seen next month.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold Waris set to release on November 13 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
