It 'tis the season of rumors and assumptions for this years winter time blockbusters. According to Computer and Video Games, the following information, claiming to reveal the game's release date and a load of multiplayer features, was first posted on the official Black Ops forums in a thread that was later taken down, and its cached version is unavailable. It was then reposted in another thread on Activision's forums, which was also killed off by the publisher, but its cache remains available (via MP1st). None of this information is confirmed, but there's no reason it couldn't be genuine as it all sounds feasible. The list is full of new modes but makes no mention of a new game engine.

Here's the lot:

Leaked Black Ops 2 Multiplayer Information
•This year, Call of Duty will return with it's ninth installment with Black Ops 2. As expected it will be following Treyarch's previous game Black Ops. It's release date is set for the 6th of November.

Game Modes
•Escort, a new game mode similar to Search and Destroy however a live player must be escorted to one of three areas (or two depending on the map) without being killed. The match will have rounds, consisting of one life only.
•Drop Zone and Kill Confirmed will return
•Team Defender and Infected will not return

Pointstreaks
•Will follow from Modern Warfare 3's system
•Larger emphasis on objectives
•A bomb plant is worth 2 points
•A neutral flag is worth 1, however an enemy flag is worth 2
•flag assist capture is worth 1, a capture is worth 2
•The Specialist Pointstreak has be modified. 2 kills now gets you 1 perk. The 4th kill gets you 2 more perks. The 6th kill gets you 3 more perks. The 8th Kill gets you 4 more perks. You do not get every perk when you reach 8 kills. Perks only become "Pro" when you have them Pro
•RC XD will not return
•Heat vision is a new Pointstreak reward. When you get the required points, you can activate this Pointstreak and your player pulls out a scope and attachés it to your weapon. This scopes main advantage is it's ability to detect enemies through most walls. Note, the scope can only be attached to primaries not including shotguns
•Item Packages requires 5 points. Fall along side care packages and air drop traps. Features a list of package items only including ammo, mini gun, grenade launcher, rocket launcher, and body armor

Prestiges
•There will be 15 prestiges
•There will be 50 ranks
•Every two prestiges there is a 5 rank increase
•The final prestige has 90 levels

ELITE 2.0
•ELITE is being fully incorporated into Black Ops 2
•Combat record has been modified and re-named as ELITE Stats
•There will be a specific lobby for clan matches (new way of leveling clans)
•Clan Tournaments can now be implemented

Removed
•No MOAB or Nuke
•No last stand
•No death streaks
•No flame thrower attachment

Map Design
•Map design and size will be following Black Ops not Modern Warfare 3

Sniper Rifles
•Improved sniper rifle usage.
•No aim assist for any sniper rifle.
•Less sway

Customization
•No longer just perk 1 chooses the players appearance
•Appearance is a combination of all perks and type of Pointstreak being used.

Hardcore
•Larger emphasis on hardcore than ever before
•No grenade launchers
•Only vehicle guided rocket launchers permitted
•Respawn timings decreased (for most modes)
•1 bullet in the foot will no longer kill a person, a head or chest shot is usually required.
•A person will now bleed out if severely injured.

Perk System 2.0
•The Perk Pro system has been upgraded
•There is now 2 options a perk can advance to.
•Both require different challenges to unlock
•Once the desired Pro version is unlocked, the player can select that as their "Perk Pro".
•Once selected, the only way to choose the other option is by entering prestige mode.
•For example Perk slot 1 has the perk called Speed
•Speed - Reduces the time taken to aim down the sight. Pro I - Swaps weapons faster. Pro II - Throws equipment faster

Combat Training
•Will be returning with vast improvements.
•Difficulty is no longer based on how long the bots take to start shooting.
•Bots now have an advance AI system
•Similar to the behavior seen in the MW3 Spec Ops survival

Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg has said of this year's Call of Duty: "This year we expect to further expand our presence with the launch of an all-new epic first-person shooter title under the Call of Duty brand. From what we've seen to date, the game already looks fantastic and will bring meaningful innovations to the franchise."