Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 - What we Know so Far

It’s that time of year, the newest entry in the Call of Duty franchise has recently been announced, and it was revealed to be the newest entry in the Black Ops series. For most this comes as no surprise as Treyarch, the lead Black Ops developer, hasn’t produced a new Call of Duty franchise since the first Black Ops game in 2010. In spite of this, there seems to be a lot of innovation and tasteful traditionalism going on with the development of Black Ops 6 over at Treyarch. So without further ado, here is everything we know so far about Black Ops 6.

 

 

Campaign

For many, Call of Duty is the go to multiplayer shooter. After all, it did revolutionize the genre with Modern Warfare in 2007, but the legacy of Call of Duty once lied in its campaign mode. The original Modern Warfare trilogy along with the first two Black Ops games were known not just for their stellar gameplay, but for the captivating stories they told. Unfortunately, we have since seen a prolonged downward trend in the quality of Call of Duty campaigns. Notably, Black Ops 3’s campaign is regarded by many as the worst in the series, while Black Ops 4 didn’t have a campaign at all. They stepped it up a bit for their most recent entry: Black Ops Cold War, but it still failed to produce that soul gripping story that the first two entries were known for. 

So what can we expect from the Black Ops 6 campaign? As for the story, we are once again taking a trip back to the timeline between Black Ops 1 & 2 just as Cold War did. Specifically the 90’s during the fall of Soviet Russia amidst the gulf war. The tone will supposedly be returning to that classic Black Ops feel. According to developers featured in the Black Ops 6 Direct, the game will be, “...a high octane spy thriller where you’re never sure who to trust and what's real…” The story points will be in some ways correlated to the flashbacks that Frank Woods had in Black Ops 2, which for many is delightful news. Woods returns to play a major role in the story alongside Russel Adler who was introduced in Cold War. He was not cut as a clear antagonist in that game, but could become one depending on player choice. In this game however he is slated to become an antagonist to Woods as he is forced to go rogue alongside the new protagonist we assume: Troy Marshall.

 

When it comes to gameplay Black Ops 6 is seeking to combine the best elements of classic Black Ops Campaigns while staying fresh and innovative in the way they design missions. It should at this point be noted that Raven software is also co-developing this game alongside Treyarch and are heading the mission design. According to the direct mission designs were built to each have memorable elements and differences in gameplay. Some missions will be more traditional while others will be taking a more open ended approach. This is a little scary as the “open combat” missions of Modern Warfare 3 were widely regarded to be sub-par. Though, with raven handling development this time around as opposed to sledgehammer (who has had a consistently disappointing track record), there is hope that these missions can be executed well. 

 

Aside from that we don't have much more information on the campaign. Though, the developers did seem very excited to present a casino heist mission which is reported to be one of the more open ended missions. Scenes like this among other clips from the direct seem to display more of the memorable blockbuster action moments that the series is known for. Though, we'll just have to wait and see how baked the final product truly is.

 

 

Multiplayer 

For most of the Call of Duty community this is the main course. Unfortunately, we haven’t gotten much information on the specifics of multiplayer just yet. What we do know however is that the mode will be launching with 16 maps. 12 of which will be classic 6v6 maps and 4 strike maps. We also know that the 6v6 maps will be returning to the 3-lane format, a layout which many either love or hate. Although it is the classic design, sticking to this formula so strictly has made many maps in past games blend in with each other and become forgettable. Many of the most memorable older maps had that base 3-lane design, but had a unique element that gave it its own identity. These are maps like Summit, Nuketown, Highrise, Firing Range, and Hijacked. This overall is a very safe decision, and there's a high probability that the maps will be good fun. However there is certainly a portion of the community that would like to see a little more diversity in the map design.

 

The other major piece of information we have is a new movement system which will be present in every mode, but will undoubtedly affect multiplayer the most. This new system is dubbed, “Omni-Movement”. Call of Duty has a history of experimenting with movement systems with varying degrees of success. Most infamously the ‘jetpack’ systems from games like Advanced Warfare and Black Ops 3. It's not unreasonable to say that these changes have been the most controversial in the entire series. This time around the changes won’t be that drastic, but are still sizable. Players will now be able to sprint in 4 directions: foreword, backwards, and to each side. They will also now be able to dolphin dive in any direction. These are the most major changes but players will also now be able to customize their controls to vault ledges automatically and do other input reducing actions. This seems like an idea full of potential, but the full scale of its impact will only be seen after it has stewed in the community for a while.

 

We got a few other minor details, like players being able to customize their HUD for the first time in the series. Though, that’s pretty much all we've seen from multiplayer so far. We will be getting a full reveal of the multiplayer on August 28th through the “Call of Duty Next'' event. Although we don’t have a hard date, we also know that an open beta for Black Ops 6 multiplayer is coming in the near future. Players will need to pre-order the game to gain access to the beta and can find more information on it here.

 

 

Zombies

Zombies is another long time fan favorite and I don't think anyone was surprised to learn of its inclusion in Black Ops 6. However, this time around they have big shoes to fill. Zombies modes from other developers have never been able to live up to the status quo that Treyarch has set. Though, even Treyarch has stumbled on their zombies mode for their past two releases. Many fans would even argue that we haven’t gotten a proper zombies experience since the release of Black Ops 3 in 2015. Originally, the main story of zombies which follows Richtofen, Dempsy, Belinski, and Masaki was concluded in Black Ops 3. Now however, the gang is back, but it is unclear how exactly the storyline will be continued. Due to the original containing elements of time and interdimensional travel it is likely that their return will have something to do with those concepts. 

 

Gameplay wise we have only seen cinematic trailers. Though they have confirmed we will be getting 2 new maps upon release. There also appears to be new types of zombies with a zombie akin to the tank from Left 4 Dead appearing in the cinematics. Whether this will become a new mechanic or will simply be a cosmetic choice is at this point unknown. According to developers both maps will display, “...a curated mix of fan favorite features and new elements to discover. For those new to zombies it’s our unique take of the cooperative horde mode where every map is packed full of powerful weapons and upgrades, deadly enemies, and tons of secrets to uncover.” 

 

 

Conclusion

The past several installments of Call of Duty have seen highs and lows with huge hits like Warzone, and critical flops like Infinite Warfare, Vanguard, and the Modern Warfare 3 remake. Some simply attribute this to nostalgia, or the reputation of modern titles being tainted by microtransactions. Maybe a franchise is just bound to become stale when it’s trapped in an annual release cycle. When considering this is the 6th entry in the Black Ops series, and the performance of the last 2 entries (and parts of Black Ops 3) ranging from average to poor, it may be hard to feel the hype. Though, what little we have seen seems to be on the right track. The campaign and zombies modes look to have a lot of potential. On top of that the new Omni-movement system could add a whole new layer of mechanics to multiplayer without completely overhauling the original system like other movement focused entries did. Of course we have seen very little of the actual game, but this entry seems to be off to a very optimistic start. Stay on the lookout for the open beta announcement and the multiplayer reveal on August 28th!

 

 

Activision Publishing. (2024, June 9). Call of duty: Black ops 6 open beta FAQ. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Open Beta FAQ. https://support.activision.com/black-ops-6/articles/black-ops-6-beta#:~:text=The%20Call%20of%20Duty%20%C2%AE%3A%20Black%20Ops%206,when%20the%20game%20launches%20worldwide%20on%20October%2025. 

 

GameSpot. (2024, June 9). Call of duty: Black ops 6 direct full showcase. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuoCes60HxI