Since our last update, Treyarch and Activision have certainly gave us a lot of Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 teasers to dissect. For the past few days, two Snapchat clips have been posted at the same time. During the same period, the teasers on Twitter have also been heating up. And today, we get a combination of both along with a new teaser trailer.
So, if you’re new to this, here’s a quick recap. Every now and then a new Snapchat appears on the Call of Duty account which features a cryptic video diary-like format from Dr. Salim, a doctor involved in a major project set around human experimentation. We know people have been operated on, some of which have died while others have just experienced side effects, with the main objective appearing to revolve around finding a breakthrough in enhancing a human body. Following on from this, a related Twitter account has appeared, which has since been joined by the appearance of another account.
Now to start looking at the new teasers, starting with the Ember trailer released today…
Ember Trailer
This trailer was put together by 72andSunny, the agency behind other previous Call of Duty live-action trailers. You can read an interesting look at how the viral campaign has been put together, from the Snapchat clips to todays live-action trailer, at Adweek.
The trailer is a very interesting documentary-styled look at how technological advancements could affect humanity within the next 50 years and gives us our strongest indication yet of what will be featured in Black Ops 3. The trailer begins with this quote: “Mankind’s greatest mistake will be its inability to control the technology it has created.” We already live in a word obsessed with technology, but the use of technology in our lives is only going to increase in the years ahead, as will be predicted in the trailer. But, as this quote suggests, technology is ‘alive’ in a sense, which begs the question about what dangers can exist if we can’t control it. It was only in the previous Black Ops game where the idea of an enemy attacking someone with their own technology took center stage.
The trailer begins in 1993 and then jumps to 1998 where doping in sports athletes is a recurring theme. The idea of doping is obviously to use some form of drug enhancements which will provide the athlete with a better chance of winning a sporting event. Jump forward two years and we see a brain scan, something which has been a recurring theme in the teaser clips. We then see Dr. Francis Collins giving his speech about reaching the milestone on the first draft of the Human Book on Life. The Human Genome Project, of which Collins was a director of, is a scientific research project which explores the understanding of human genes.
We head to 2011 where wearable technology (e.g. computerized watches) is the latest fashion. We see an interesting symbol tattooed onto a person’s arm, which hints towards some implanted technology chip. The next few shots focus on eyes, which hints towards the idea of eye implants that we’ve been hearing of (remember that Treyarch posted a night-vision eye implant article on Facebook). Then we get a look at other technology that can power a person’s limbs (such as arms and legs), which exist today and can be used to aid an amputee. The person on stage directly mentions ‘enhanced human experience’; human enhancements is something that’s been speculated for a few weeks now. 2015 and we’re looking at newborns. Where do they fit in? Enhancements will will directly create new life?
For the first time in the trailer, we’re headed five years in the future to 2020 where a court has ruled discrimination against a person equipped with modifications as unconstitutional. 2025, the years when Black Ops 2 is set and 30 years after doping makes the news in sports, and basketball becomes the first sport to allow modified pro players to compete. Jump three years later and the winner of a race at the 2018 Summer Olympics is a woman with robotic modifications for her two amputated legs. We see Bluebird (which appears to be a hint given in the viral teasers) and Cairo, Egypt (a location in the game?).
In 2041, the first networked brain-to-brain connection has been created which will allow people to share their thoughts with others. We see a baby monkey. Test subject for experimentation? Do these implants and robotic technology also work for animals? We see more imagery that we’ve been teased with in the viral clips, including more eyes, brain and surgery. 10 years later and not only is there a ‘biotech market’, but DNA upgrades and organ replacements are a thing. Other than to overcome health issues, what would be the benefits of these enhancements? In 2055, an advert for a retinal implant has been created, and potential customers can reserve theirs via a website. The website is also online here, and within the source code is the the password ‘blackbird’, which tells us that it will be needed for something soon.
Jump to year 2061 and we see someone in a hazmat suit, a dog, sharks, a blazing fire and protesters who don’t seem too happy. A news reporter talks about how the scientists are ‘playing God’, suggesting that there is some religious debate at play regarding the usage of technological enhancements. Is that The Unmarked Man that we get a short glimpse of a few moments later? Things appear to be getting a bit more destructive and military elements seem to be cropping up. It’s 2065 and a whistleblower claims that the military’s tech is lightyears ahead of those bought at shops. Mentions a clear difference between the usages. Where the public use the technology for medical purposes, the military are using it to turn humans into weapons, a theme that we’ve speculated for a few weeks. Are The Unmarked Man or Jaxiplanet whistleblowers too? We see a war-torn location, followed by a United States government representative denying the accusations of creating ‘super soldiers’. Neurocontrol and voluntary limb replacement are mentioned as military enhancements. Does the camera’s view switching to thermal suggest that soldier’s eye implants will support this? We would certainly assume the game will include some sort of sight enhancement. Ends with ‘how far will we allow it to go’. This quote contrasts to that of Dr. Salim’s in the first teaser trailer about ‘how far are we willing to go’. It would appear that there’s multiple sides clashing regarding this technology, some of which use it for medical purposes, some of which use it to improve performances in sports, some of which use it to create better soldiers, and some who find it unreligious.
There’s certainly plenty that we can get out of this trailer. It’s clear that Black Ops 3 will indeed include a futuristic setting which focussing on human enhancements such as implants and robotic limbs. It also seems likely that the game will be set 50 years in the future, 2065, which is four years after the conclusion of Advanced Warfare. Head below to look at the latest viral teasers, and head over here to check out a new recently found viral website (Password: BLUEBIRD).
Viral Teaser 22
@charlieINTEL New snap 1 pic.twitter.com/5m9SELvfO2
— Element (@Elemxnt) April 21, 2015
Like where we left off, most of this Snapchat teaser mostly features doctors operating on a patient. Other than that, a lot of the rest of the footage features some clips we’ve seen before as well as some new ones added in. Mainly, it looks like we get glimpses of the effects patients are suffering from having received treatment, but the mouth and eye that keep popping up are also shown in this clip.
Dr Salim’s quote: “It’s clear that the majority of patients exhibit signs of mild, severe psychosis immediately following each procedure.” Here we’re treated to another side effect that patient’s are experiencing. It appears that right after surgery most of the patients are suffering with psychosis problems, with is defined as a mental health issue where people suffering from it will interpret things differently than other people around them. For instance, those suffering with a psychosis problem will likely experience things like delusions and/or hallucinations. In the last few clips there’s been a few common elements shown, and with this new quote, it appears that we’re being shown patient’s responses to surgery, hence the clips of patient’s looking dazed or distressed. As spotted by LiamFTWinter and co, the audio appears to contain a hidden message which spells out ‘Enhance Yours’.
Viral Teaser 23
@charlieINTEL new snap 2 pic.twitter.com/Np1Tla8xG2
— Element (@Elemxnt) April 21, 2015
The mouth from the previous clip shows up again in this one, but it plays a much more prominent role. Is this person a patient? Is the person talking or screaming? The rest of the clip again shows patients presumably suffering with psychosis problems after surgery, as well as some grainy footage which is hard to make out.
Dr Salim’s quote: “Though I am reluctant to resort to the use of physical restraints, I may be forced to do just that.” Evidently the doctors and nurses are having problems coping with patients. As the last few hints have been about psychosis, we assume that this is referring to how the patient’s are reacting to their treatment. If they are seeing hallucinations, for example, then their behaviour would be unpredictable and aggressive, perhaps leading them to attacking doctors and nurses. Of course, this could also be interpreted in a more cynical way, with Dr. Salim maybe holding perfectly aware patients again their will.
Viral Teaser 24
@charlieINTEL new snap pic.twitter.com/0gNyXnItLd
— Element (@Elemxnt) April 22, 2015
This clip mainly focusses on some more brain scans, with what appears to be a few clips of patients mixed in. The people near the end of the clip look quite casual and happy. Are they perhaps the patients before they joined the project as test subjects? Doctors? The ‘suits’ behind the project?
Dr Salim’s quote: “Today I asked a question that I should not have asked, question about… the test subjects… Who were they, before.” Sounds like Salim perhaps regret asking a question to someone. But who to? It sounds like the question was about who the patients were before they became test subjects for this project. Did he ask the question to the patients, and they suffered some sort of bad reaction that he’s not happy with? Or, perhaps more likely, he asked the question to another member of the project. It might be that the response triggered some sort of sympathetic response from him. For example, if someone was forcefully taken from their loving family to be experimented on, that would maybe affect Salim’s feelings going forwards. Or it could be that he asked the question to one of the project’s higher management staff, someone who felt that the doctor has no jurisdiction to ask the question.
Viral Teaser 25
New snap 2 @charlieINTEL pic.twitter.com/M80L1v3h9x
— Element (@Elemxnt) April 22, 2015
In this clip we’re mainly treated to some more (quite gory) scenes of what appears to be the brain being operated on by a doctor. There’s also another clip mixed in, which is maybe a part of the patient’s memory. Does the memory show a helicopter? A chairlift? Or something completely else?
Dr Salim’s quote: “Cognitive …(?) isn’t just science fiction, it will allow us to remove specific memories of severe psychological trauma.” At the beginning of this viral campaign, I kind of got the feeling that the doctor was helping a patient cope with a post-traumatic stress disorder. In those clips, we heard Salim telling the patient to only listen to his voice, and from that point on we were offered what appeared to be a look into the patient’s mind. This quote kind of brings me back to that point. It seems like one of the aims the doctor is trying to achieve is the ability to remove severe trauma from a person’s mind. Salim clearly feels that this is possible and isn’t science fiction, hence providing him with an objective to achieve. From this quote, it appears that removing trauma would be done by completely removing the memory from the person. Sessions with psychiatrists can certainly help people deal with mental issues in the real-life universe, but unlike this experiment, they simply use methods that allow patients to focus on happier moments rather than completely eradicating it from their system. We would also assume that this project’s purpose of removing memories would be done through brain surgery and not just through ‘talking’.
Viral Teaser 26
New snapchat @charlieINTEL pic.twitter.com/SRQUTdU1Ud
— Element (@Elemxnt) April 23, 2015
Again, this is another clip that primarily focusses on a surgical operation being performed. At one point, we also see three blood (?) lines streaming down the screen, as well as a grated ceiling, both of which appeared in earlier clips. We haven’t seen much footage of the outdoors for a while, although the first few teasers in the campaign primarily focussed on them. However, at the end of this clip, we see what looks to be a forest covered in snow.
Dr Salim’s quote: “Biotechnology has given us the tools we need in a whole new era in the treatment of psychological trauma.” The most interesting choice of words spoken here is biotechnology. We’ve speculated that the game will feature ‘bionic soldiers’ in some form for a while now, and this is the first time that the words biotechnology have officially been used. Of course this doesn’t suggest robotic soldiers, but does further hint about human enhancements. For the second time in a row, Dr. Salim has mentioned the treatment of psychological trauma. Are we finally starting to understand the doctor’s purpose here, or is this just a smokescreen? Is he really interested in treating trauma and something out of his control uses the technology for military purposes? Or has he always been looking to at ways to improve military forces? Of course, while we know Black Ops 3 will feature these elements in a military point-of-view, we don’t know what era Dr. Salim is from and whether this is simply a backstory for the wider implementation of the technology.
Viral Teaser 27
2nd snap of the day @charlieINTEL pic.twitter.com/VwJWToNkBs
— Element (@Elemxnt) April 23, 2015
With the game’s reveal just around the corner, and how fast-paced this one appears, it feels like we’re approaching the finish line. In this clip, we see more of the snowy forest location at night, more footage of the outdoors, and a reappearance of the surgical procedures.
Dr Salim’s quote: “The only thing holding us back… is how far we are willing to go.” This quote is one that appears in the first teaser trailer. Again, from all the teasers we’ve had, we can deduce that this is referring to using surgery and perhaps other methods to enhance human bodies. With mind a common recurrence, this quote likely means operating on the brain to modify the patient’s memories and thought process.
The Unmarked Man
…the metal towers blooming like weeds popping between slabs of sidewalk.
— TheUnmarkedMan (@TheUnmarkedMan) April 21, 2015
I see some of you like to play. Well then, let's play…
— TheUnmarkedMan (@TheUnmarkedMan) April 21, 2015
Louder until it’s everything, then nothing.
— TheUnmarkedMan (@TheUnmarkedMan) April 21, 2015
The dry run is over.
— TheUnmarkedMan (@TheUnmarkedMan) April 22, 2015
@MrRoflWaffles Congratulations. You'll need this soon. That is all for now.
— TheUnmarkedMan (@TheUnmarkedMan) April 23, 2015
Oh, but the answers might be more fun. https://t.co/yKj8HGoYNk
— TheUnmarkedMan (@TheUnmarkedMan) April 23, 2015
The @TheUnmarkedMan account on Twitter has been very active since our last update. Not only has he tweeted a lot, but his cover photo is now of four brains, each with a highlighted section. As for the tweets, what they mean could be anything as they’re a little less direct that the Snapchat teasers. Most recently, he’s been engaging with community member MrRolfWaffles and throwing out some hints, with HAARP, MKULTRA and BLUEBIRD as seemingly important elements. All of those three projects propped up during the GKNOVA6 teaser days for Black Ops 1, and it seems like they have a role to play again now. In the last tweet above, we also see that The Unmarked Man RT’ed a new account on Twitter, Jaxiplant, who appears to be a new player in this viral campaign.
Jaxiplanet
"Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers" https://t.co/CWg7qiTXQd
— Jaxiplanet (@Jaxiplanet) April 23, 2015
The final chapter. The first chapter. https://t.co/CWg7qiTXQd
— Jaxiplanet (@Jaxiplanet) April 23, 2015
How are these two characters connected? Are they one the same side? Jaxiplanet’s profile picture appears to be the same eye that’s appeared frequently in the teaser clips, suggesting that he may be the character (patient?) featured in it. His cover photo is also of a lot of white rectangle panels, which look similar to the ones featured in the profile image of The Unmarked Man. Is this a room which plays a significant role? Jaxiplanet also has a Soundcloud account and has posted two sound clips, which are included in the above tweets. One is called questions while the other is called More Questions. Both each have an interesting image. One appears to show a human scan of some sort, while the other has text which describes a situation where Asteroid 2052 CD98 is passing the Earth at an extremely closely distance and any impact would cause large scale destruction. What relevance is this? Does the game take place on an Earth affected by an asteroid collision? Is there passage related to the book ‘2052 – A Global Forecast for the Next Forty Years’?
If we listen to the clips, a lot of interesting sounds are heard, including a mix of wildlife, a character giving out numbers/letters, and some funky tunes. The sounds appear to hide some hidden messages, including morse code, and members of the community are working hard to work it out.
As for the name Jaxiplanet, it doesn’t seem like a real-life word/project of some sort. Is it maybe an anonymous name he’s attached to himself as he looks to bring down an evil project/organization by leaking important information (a la Deep Throat)?
Enhance Yourself Teaser Site
As spotted by LiamFTWinter, some of the aforementioned hints have lead to a new tumblr teaser site with some very interesting information to read. Head over to the site here and enter the password: BLUEBIRD.
Double XP
To celebrate the game’s reveal this weekend, Double XP and Double Weapon XP is being turned on across two games: Advanced Warfare and Black Ops 2. The extra XP will be available from Friday at 10am PDT (1pm EDT/6pm BST) and last until the same time on Monday.
Stay tuned to the Black Ops 3 worldwide reveal THIS Sunday!
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