If gamers load upCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold Wartoday, they will find a massive amount of content to enjoy. Numerous maps for every game mode, from Gunfight and Fireteam to traditional 6v6 playlists, are present. A massive arsenal of weaponry is available, and a solid (if slightly low) Zombies map count can be accessed. Most importantly, the game plays well and has the polish one would expect fromtheCall of Dutyfranchise.
None of this could be said whenCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold Warlaunched, as the game had one of the rockiest starts in franchise history. Players had to endure a massive content drought until the post-launch Seasons began, and the game was prone to numerous bugs and crashes. With Treyarch supposedly getting an extra year to develop its next title, it should not be as rushed as it was with its previous game. Due to this, the game needs to perform well and be full of content as soon as players jump in on launch day.
RELATED:Call of Duty Leaker Creates Image of Warzone 2 Map
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Issues The Next Black Ops Needs To Avoid
The biggest issueTreyarch’s next gameneeds to avoid is undoubtedly a low map count. Players did not even have 10 original 6v6 maps to play on day one, with the shockingly low map count of eight being a huge disappointment when compared to the series’ other titles. Further,Call of DutyZombies only had one map for players to enjoy on day one, the lowest sinceCall of Duty: World at War- the game where the mode made its debut.
The next entry intheBlack Opsseriesneeds to avoid this problem, featuring at least a dozen traditional multiplayer maps and a few different Zombies experiences on day one. While many enjoyed the core gameplay ofBlack Ops Cold War, especially those wanting something more traditional afterModern Warfare2019, the experience quickly became stale due to a lack of maps and modes. While it is true that the post-launch Seasons made a big difference, the game did not make the best first impression.
It goes without saying that the next Treyarch title needs to beless buggy thanCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. From out of map exploits to camo progress being lost, issues were rampant for the first several months of the game’s life cycle. While a longer development time should make a big difference for Treyarch, allowing the studio to bug test more heavily and refine the game further before releasing it, fans will no doubt be wary of performance issues before picking it up.
Treyarch should also aim to make content that was added inBlack Ops Cold War’s post-launch Seasons available on day one. Certain modes like Demolition should be treated as staples of the series, being playable on launch day. Further, players should not have to wait until after release for Gunfight or Party Games like Gun Game, as these are also things that should be day one offerings. It would also be nice for League Play to come a week or two after launch instead of months after release, as competitive fans would undoubtedly appreciate a faster start. Lastly, the Nuke killstreak not coming until the midway point ofBlack Ops Cold War’s life cyclewas a bummer, as many had moved on and never got to experience it.
Doing all of these things would go a long way to making sure the next Treyarch game blows fans away right out the gate instead of starting rough and slowly getting better over time. From there, the post-launch content can focus on improving upon the game’s foundations instead of building them up. Less remasteredmaps could be seen in these Seasons, asBlack Ops 1and2contentmade up far too much ofBlack Ops Cold War. If its next game has a solid map count at launch, Treyarch can focus on quality over quantity with its additional maps, worrying less about raising the overall map count and instead focusing on never-before-seen content. WhileBlack Ops Cold Wareventually became a strong game, its debut remains a lesson in what not to do.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold Waris available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
MORE:Call of Duty: Warzone 2’s Leaked Map Locations Could Hint at MW2 Multiplayer Remasters
