It felt like Activision was onto a winner with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Following the massive failure of Modern Warfare 3 last year, it needed to win back support for the shooter franchise, and thankfully Treyarch was there to revive a fan-favourite subseries in spectacular style.
We loved it, praising its campaign, multiplayer, and zombies mode for representing the most complete package the series has offered in years. It was a grand return to form, but in the months since, Call of Duty has returned to old habits and fans are happily leaving it behind for better, more generous experiences like Marvel Rivals. That’s a game that is nothing like Black Ops 6, but at least it isn’t taking its audience for an unfair ride.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Has Lost Half Of Its Audience
Earlier this week we reported that Black Ops 6 is losing players at an alarming rate during a time where it should be retaining players with its Squid Game crossover. But instead of that event offering unique modes, most of them are broken, while gaining all the cosmetics planned for the event will run you almost $800. Combine this with the seasonal battle pass, other regular bundles, and the broken and uneven nature of online matches right now, and regular play of Black Ops 6 is sadly frustrating.
Activision is putting more effort into pushing new cosmetics that are garish and untested so it can make as much profit as possible than it is into actually curating the gameplay experience players are desperate to see improved. That isn’t the priority, and given the live-service cash cow we have seen Call of Duty become, it never will be. Even with an all-time entry like Black Ops 6, the series is always doomed to resort to its old ways because money speaks louder than any level of quality. But is there anything that can be done to fix this, and will Activision bother?
Fans Of The Annual Shooter Franchise Deserve Better Than This
Steam reviews currently sit at ‘Mostly Negative’, indicating a downward trend in sentiment by the community as they leave the honeymoon period behind. The potential use of generative AI for art, skins, calling cards, and similar aspects of the game are defining points of contention, while the current trajectory points towards this becoming a defining part of the series’ identity.
Activision wants to make as much money as possible, even if it means creating cosmetics using generative AI and casting aside quality checks we witness most other games carry out. It is woefully inconsistent, not to mention the store page refuses to mention whether it uses such things. Honesty wouldn’t fix the problem, but it would give us an idea of where exactly Activision stands and whether it is finally time to walk away.
Other complaints include a spawn system which actively fights against you, uneven lobbies that aren’t filled despite a large player population, and user interface elements and gunplay mechanics that remain bugged or broken despite months passing since launch. With every passing day, it becomes clear that Call of Duty is putting profits over polish, and its audience is beginning to take notice. The sad reality is that Activision believes it can get away with all this, and will no doubt continue charging hundreds for cosmetic collections because enough people are coughing up the dough to justify them.
It Is Too Late For Call Of Duty To Change
I was naive to believe that Black Ops 6 was a changing of the guard for Call of Duty; that it was Activision accepting its past failures and promising to walk a more righteous path. What it really ended up being was a stroke of luck, and once the successful launch passed us by, it was only a matter of time until the multiplayer became broken, the monetisation became too much to bear, and players began to walk away.
When this year’s entry rolls around, I won’t be making the same mistake, and after being swept up in the brilliance of Black Ops 6 in its opening weeks, I doubt the community will either. If anything, I’m glad that other shooter offerings like Marvel Rivals and Fortnite are showing how live-services can be all-encompassing experiences without taking deliberate advantage of players through overpriced cosmetics and a glaring lack of polish.
You can make a profit and still be a game that is well worth playing, but right now Call of Duty is losing touch with that potential. If Black Ops 6 couldn’t bring that magic back, I’m unsure anything will.
