Treyarch explains why Black Ops 4 updates on PC take longer than consoles

Activision has kicked off the Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Blackout holiday event, and a "Winter Calling" calling event in Zombies, which unfortunately—but like previous Black Ops 4 newness—are only available on the PlayStation 4 to start. There's still a reason for those of us on Team PC to pay attention, however, as the announcement posted to Reddit also digs into why the PC release schedule for updates will sometimes lag behind consoles.

"Because we’ve made PC a priority this year with a dedicated studio team and more support for PC-exclusive options and features than ever before, we’re committed to taking the time to make sure each update is thoroughly tuned and tested before we release each update on PC," Treyarch explained. "This will typically require a later release time for PC compared to its console counterparts, and we’ll always target a release window of within 24 hours of a console patch."

"In the case of bigger title updates, such as this week’s massive 1.09 update (as opposed to smaller game settings changes), it can take longer than 24 hours to thoroughly test and approve new PC content, especially when there are additional PC-exclusive changes included. Even one change specific to the PC version can introduce new bugs that often prove tricky to nail down and squash."

That's why the 1.09 update didn't go live on PC until yesterday, a couple of days after the console releases, Treyarch explained. And while It's possible that some future updates will roll out at more or less the same time, Treyarch said it hopes the post will explain "why updates will rarely release across all platforms at the exact same time."

Treyarch didn't say when the Black Ops 4 holiday event gets underway on PC but a rep said it should be in line with previous releases, meaning that we'll likely see it arrive for next weekend. For this weekend, players on all platforms will be able to take advantage of double XP in Zombies and multiplayer, and double Merits in Blackout, and there's also a new limited-time mode in Blackout called Close Quarters Frenzy that features a faster collapsing circle and limits players to close-quarters weapons: shotguns, SMGs, pistols, and melee.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.