Summary
Hype is still high around the upcomingCall of Duty: Black Ops 6in the wake of its dedicated Direct presentation on June 9. The official reveal trailer for the game has already amassed close to 60 million views, making it the most popular trailer in the franchise’s long and successful history. A lot of this anticipation has likely come from the release moving away from the wider IP’s recent focus on theModern Warfareseries, but the respect that the game is already paying to the history ofBlack Opsis another huge factor in the hype surrounding it.
While more details aroundCall of Duty: Black Ops 6will be revealed at theCall of DutyNEXT presentation on August 28, fans already know a lot about how the title will handle its campaign, core multiplayer, and Zombies experiences. The widerCall of Dutyfranchise has attempted a lot of new introductions in recent years to varying levels of success, but these details ensure thatBlack Ops 6is taking the highlights of the sub-franchise’s history to create an excellent blend of old and new.
Black Ops 6 is Attempting to Replicate the Best Aspects of its Past
The Direct presentation forBlack Ops 6placed a lot of focus on the game’s campaign, confirming that a lot offamiliar faces like Frank Woods and Russell Adlerwill be returning to the franchise. Not only does this directly tie the upcoming game to the well-received narrative of 2020’sCold War, but Woods' use of a wheelchair confirms that the game will also be following up on the story ofBlack Ops 2.
Theselinks betweenBlack Ops 6andBlack Ops 2appeal well to older fans of theCoDfranchise, but a lot of fresh mechanics fromCold Waroffer something from the IP’s more recent history. For example,Black Ops 6will feature an expanded version ofCold War’s Safe House hub, while also featuring the same kinds of meaningful dialogue options thatCold Waremployed.
Black Ops 6 is Taking Things Back to Basics in a Big Way
Black Ops 6’s take on the franchise’s iconic Zombies modewas arguably the most scrutinized aspect of the game’s reveal, with a lot of controversy existing over how the mode has been altered over the years sinceCold War. Around this time, the IP moved towards the Outbreak formula of Zombies, which went away from traditional round-based experiences in favor of open-world maps with objectives that players need to complete.
This approach has continued as far as the recentModern Warfare 3, andBlack Ops 6has already been firm in stating that itsZombies mode will return to round-based gameplay. The upcoming title will feature two round-based maps at launch, and will even see the return of a dedicated cast of playable Zombies characters, which itself was a defining element of the mode’s past that has been lost with recent releases.
Black Ops 6’s multiplayer received the least attention at the Direct, but it was still apparent that the mode shares the same respect for pastBlack Opsgames as its Zombies and campaign.
The Direct confirmed that classicBlack Opskillstreaks like the iconic RC-XD will reappear inBlack Ops 6, with the title also finally reintroducing theclassicCall of Dutyprestige systemas opposed to the more recent season-based system. While the October 25 release date forBlack Ops 6still seems like a long way off, it is already more than evident that the game has a strong focus on capturing the magic that made its predecessors so beloved.
