Will Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Become a Blockbuster
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is about to be released. Yes, this is the 21st installment (COD21) in this famous series. Even though a new game is released every year, it always garners attention from shooting game enthusiasts worldwide, demonstrating Call of Duty’s dominance in the gaming world.
However, not every Call of Duty game receives praise from players. For instance, last year’s Call of Duty 2023 received mixed reviews on Steam due to its mediocre single-player campaign and multiplayer mode adjustments. So, what kind of reception will Black Ops 6 get? Is it possible for it to become the hottest game of the year? In this article, I will share some of my own views.
Why Black Ops 6 is Important
As we know, the Call of Duty series is developed by three different teams under Activision, ensuring sufficient development cycles while allowing players to experience different themes. However, in the past 2-3 years, the Modern Warfare series released two consecutive titles (COD19 and COD20), and the past three titles were developed by only two teams:
1. COD18: Sledgehammer Games
2. COD19: Infinity Ward
3. COD20: Sledgehammer Games
This contradicts the usual production logic of the series, and the result is that these three games received poor reviews from players. If you check the Steam store, you’ll find their approval ratings are all below 60%, with some even under 20%.
As the long-awaited sequel from Treyarch, Black Ops 6 naturally carries higher expectations from players and bears the important task of restoring the series’ reputation. From this perspective, failure is almost not an option. If you look at the official Call of Duty YouTube channel, you will see that the trailer for Black Ops 6 has far more views than the previous titles.
What Black Ops 6 Needs to Pay Attention To
Game Optimization
In COD19 and COD20, many players criticized the game optimization, including but not limited to crashes, startup failures, and various error codes. These issues are quite severe for such a long-standing game series, seriously affecting the experience of both new and veteran players who can do nothing about these problems. Therefore, avoiding these issues is crucial. On this basis, Treyarch also needs to ensure that Black Ops 6 runs smoothly and is compatible with a wider range of configurations to attract more players.
Player Experience
To achieve more streamlined management, Activision combined COD19, COD20, and Warzone into one launcher. However, this led to issues for some players who had to download other titles alongside the one they wanted, resulting in extremely large game file sizes and unnecessary downloads that could even cause additional errors. This has troubled many players over the past two years.
Undoubtedly, Black Ops 6 will also use the same launcher, but according to current information, it seems that players will not need to download other titles (like Warzone) and that not all files for Black Ops 6 need to be downloaded, with some using online streaming data transmission. While the final effect is unknown, it has at least avoided some problems. We hope Activision ensures the normal transmission of streaming data and avoids similar mistakes.
Online Experience
Most Call of Duty players enjoy online multiplayer, whether it’s competitive mode, Warzone, or zombie mode. However, due to matchmaking mechanics and connection issues, some players’ multiplayer experience is not satisfactory, which significantly impacts PvP modes. Therefore, If you are facing Black Ops 6 high ping, or the aforementioned lag issues, it is recommended to seek professional tools to resolve them. Of course, this is also an area Activision needs to optimize since keeping the multiplayer mode active is key to maintaining a lively player base. Treyarch surely wouldn’t want players to uninstall the game right after finishing the single-player campaign. As for tools, you can try a professional game booster.
Will Black Ops 6 Become a Blockbuster?
I think it has a chance. After all, Treyarch’s works are renowned for their high quality, and this time, almost no mistakes can be afforded. Moreover, with the support of the zombie mode, I believe the overall experience will not be poor. Of course, some might say that Call of Duty is a blockbuster every year, but by “blockbuster,” I mean not just high popularity but also players’ recognition of the game’s quality and service. Otherwise, with such a large gaming market, even a powerful series like Call of Duty will eventually be replaced by other games.