Why Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Includes Ronald Reagan

When Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War releases later this year, the game will feature a mix of original characters and real-world figures, including former United States president Ronald Reagan. While the 40th president's place in the game's trailer might seem a little unexpected, it does fit with the established context of the game's world. Black Ops Cold War takes place after the original Call of Duty: Black Ops game. Events in that title also tied into the assassination of president John F. Kennedy, so there is a precedent for this sort of thing. Activision has been using the slogan "Know your history" for Black Ops Cold War, so it makes sense to see these real-world ties.

In the reveal trailer for Black Ops Cold War, Reagan appears in a briefing regarding the Russian spy, Perseus. It certainly wouldn't be unexpected to see the president on hand for such a meeting, but the accuracy of the likeness and voice makes it a bit jarring! While the actual existence of Perseus has been long debated, the alleged history of the spy will play a major part in the game's narrative. Black Ops Cold War sees Russell Adler and his team pursuing Perseus and attempting to stop the spy's next move. The game's campaign will take players to a number of real-world locations, such as Turkey, East Berlin, and Vietnam.

While Black Ops Cold War looks like it will pay homage to real-world history, the game has been the center of some controversy thanks to a historical event that was included and then removed from the game's teaser trailer. The teaser featured a number of events from the Cold War era, including footage of the Tiananmen Square protests. The teaser was apparently banned in China as a result, prompting Activision to remove the clip.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is set to release on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC. The game will release on current-gen systems on November 13th, and on next-gen systems at launch. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the game right here.

What do you think about Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War thus far? Were you surprised to see Ronald Reagan appear in the game's trailer? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!