Despite the dizzying success that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 garnered closer to its release in October 2024, the overall relevancy and playership of the game is seemingly stabilizing as it enters 2025. This is partially to be expected given the heavy saturation of multiplayer experiences in the modern gaming industry, but Black Ops 6 has also been at the center of some very worrying controversies in recent months that have not helped its position.
The next few months seem to be a make-or-break time for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6‘s lasting reputation, and there are a few successful elements of the game’s post-launch multiplayer content that Treyarch should leverage to keep the title moving forward. In particular, the expansive in-game events of Black Ops 6 have created some of the most engaging and unique post-launch content that the title has seen, and Treyarch should keep these events, along with their rewards and limited-time game modes, consistently present over the following months.
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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s Events Are a Saving Grace For the Title
A lot of hype existed around Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 prior to launch thanks to the fresh perspective it promised to offer away from the franchise’s recent focus on the Modern Warfare series, with fans regarding the prospect of a new Treyarch-led game with great anticipation. This, combined with Black Ops 6‘s status as the first CoD title to be a day-one Xbox Game Pass release, saw the title achieve the most successful launch weekend of any Call of Duty title in the franchise’s history.
Alongside a return to tradition with things like round-based Zombies and a more traditional multiplayer Prestige system, Black Ops 6 garnered a lot of positive sentiment in its opening weeks, although this is starting to falter. A massive controversy has recently risen in relation to Activision’s replacement of longstanding Zombies voice actors with AI, as well as the use of AI art for multiplayer customization content, with this coming at a time when a lot of playership is naturally going to be lost to other titles following the initial buzz of Black Ops 6 wearing off.
Of course, the core multiplayer of any CoD title is crucial for its longevity, and with the multiplayer map pool of Black Ops 6 still being criticized for its lack of variety, unique and fresh content is essentially only coming from one place for the title. Call of Duty often supplements its in-game seasons with massive events, which are usually tied to crossovers with other franchises, with Black Ops 6 finding success with its recent Squid Game event.
Black Ops 6’s Squid Game Event Should Set a Standard Going Forward
The Squid Game event has seen a wide variety of unique game modes be added to the game across multiplayer, Warzone, and even Zombies, with rewards tied to the event making for addictive and satisfying gameplay. This is exactly what Black Ops 6 needs at such a crucial time, with Treyarch struggling to implement this kind of reception from regular post-launch content, and it seems the title cannot afford to revert to normality for too long after the Squid Game event ends on January 24.
While normal gameplay should be given some time to breathe via short breaks between events, Treyarch should strive to maintain the current pace of in-game events for Black Ops 6 going forward. Whether they’re tied to real-world holidays or serve as crossovers between two brands, keeping a focus on unique limited-time modes that offer spins on gameplay that can be applied across BO6‘s multiplayer offerings and Warzone is a must. As one of the major sources of positivity for Black Ops 6 in such a trying time for the title, consistent high-quality events could be the key to compounding the early success that the game has enjoyed, especially in the downtime between major map and mode releases.
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