Call of Duty has confirmed that Rambo and John McClane, two 80s action heroes, will be joining Call of Duty: Warzone, Black Ops Cold War multiplayer, and Call of Duty: Mobile as part of the mid-season update.Both characters will be available across all three currently active Call of Duty games starting on May 19 at 9 pm PT/12 am ET. The two will be available for Call of Duty Mobile on May 20.
John McClane and Rambo enter the fray
John McClane, star of the Die Hard series with Bruce Willis, is a cop who finds himself in a deadly hostage situation on Nakatomi Plaza. Meanwhile, Rambo, the hero played in the movies by Sylvester Stallone, is a double-crossed special force who has to go off the grid to get revenge.
Both characters are 80s icons that went on to launch two highly successful action franchises, way before superheroes took over the cinemas.Call of Duty: Warzone – 80s Action Movies EventMcClane will be available in the “Die Hard” bundle which goes live in both Black Ops Cold War and Warzone stores on May 19 to June 18 at 9 pm PT and includes the McClane Operator, a finishing move, three weapon blueprints — a tactical rifle, two SMG, and one assault rifle — a Legendary Calling Card and Emblem, an Epic Watch, and an Epic Weapon Charm.
Rambo will be available during the same time in the “Rambo” bundle which includes Rambo, two Finishing Moves, his signature bow and arrow, three weapon blueprints — an assault rifle, LMG, and Knife — a Legendary Calling Card and Emblem; and Epic Watch and charm.
Beyond just the two playable characters, Nakatomi Plaza from Die Hard and the Survival Camps and CIA Outpost from Rambo will be added to the Verdansk map for a limited time. These iconic locations are re-created to play and fight in for Call of Duty: Warzone.
New Modes for Warzone and Black Ops Cold War Maps
Several new modes are coming to both Warzone and Black Ops Cold War for a limited time also.
In Warzone, the new mode is called Power Grab which pits over 100 players in select squad sizes in a more intense battle royale mode. The circle collapse will be smaller and happen in five stages, but there will be no Gulag to revive from.
Players will instead have to revive teammates with the Buy Station or collect Dog Tags. Every confirmed kill will drop a Dog Tag, and collecting Dog Tags will move you up the reward ladder to summon tools like a UAV, Respawn Token, Advanced Gas Masks, and more.
In Black Ops Cold War, a couple of classic modes get a Die Hard and Rambo twist. First is Die Hardpoint, a race to gain 200 points first by eliminating enemies and capturing Hardpoints. In week 2 there’s Rambo’s Gun Game, a Free-for-All mode where players need to earn at least one kill with 20 different weapons.All of this, plus the Standoff and Duga maps in Black Ops Cold War, Action Movie-inspired Medals, and a new main quest for Zombies will be available when the mid-season update launches on May 19.
Check out IGN’s Black Ops Cold War review, or Warzone guide for even more coverage.
Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor.