The Call of Duty series isn't particularly known for its gripping storytelling, but the new instalment wants to make it easier to follow along — Black Ops III has every mission unlocked from the start, meaning you won't have to play through the whole campaign in order to see the conclusion.

"It gives [players] the flexibility to consume the content how they want," campaign director Jason Blundell tells Eurogamer. "The unlocking level system is an archaic mentality we've had since we did bedroom development back in the day — you do this, then go on to the next one."

Developers Treyarch appear to have taken inspiration from Netflix, which puts entire seasons of most shows online at the same time. "If you see the end you'll say 'I need to understand this more,'" Blundell says. "When Netflix releases House of Cards and do all the episodes, does everyone just jump to the end and go and play the last episode? Sure you can. But it's about the journey, though, right?"

Unlike House of Cards — and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, for that matter — Black Ops III can't rely on a brooding Kevin Spacey to hold the audience's attention. But Treyarch's decision actually makes sense for the series in a way it might not for others. A large chunk of Call of Duty fans only care about the multiplayer modes, while those who play the series for the campaign tend to be more casual players — making the story mode more accessible to both camps sounds like a smart move.