Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 could change the first-person shooter forever

09.06.2024 - 20:11 / digitaltrends.com / Giovanni Colantonio

The stakes have never been higher for Call of Duty. With the series officially under Microsoft’s wing and being heralded as Xbox’s biggest first-party franchise, the next entry needs to deliver. That would be stressful enough as is, but it’s doubly anxiety-inducing for developer Treyarch. Not only is it ushering in a new era for Xbox, but it’s about to release a foundation-shaking moment for the franchise at large withCall of Duty: Black Ops 6.

At first glance, the latest entry in the long-running shooter series might just seem like another Call of Duty game, a reliable product spit out of a well-oiled machine. That’s not exactly the case. Black Ops 6 is more of a reinvention than it looks, turning the military shooter into a full-on spy thriller. A tonal shift like that isn’t just a matter of writing a blockbuster story filled with political intrigue. It requires a deeper overhaul of how fans actually play Call of Duty. And that’s exactly what Treyarch is delivering.

Ahead of today’s Xbox Showcase, I got a comprehensive look at all the changes coming in Black Ops 6. Its Hollywood blockbuster missions and 1990s setting might be the talk of the weekend, but the real star of the show is a major change to movement that might not just reshape Call of Duty — it could change the way shooters are made, period.

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Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 takes place in 1991 amid the drama of the Gulf War. It acts as both a sequel to Black Ops Cold War and, more directly, Black Ops 2’s 1989 missions. The story kicks off when Russell Adler reemerges during a mission in Kuwait, a surprise that sends the CIA into a tailspin. Soon, it’s revealed that the organization has been infiltrated by a shadowy group called The Pantheon that is hatching a deadly evil plan. That dynamic takes the story in an exciting direction: players have to go rogue.

The new squad consists of Adler and newcomers Sev and Felix. Rather than working under a resourceful military, the trio breaks the established rules of Call of Duty to weed out the traitors within the CIA. That change is even reflected in its DIY tools. Rather than using a military-approved cluster grenade, players instead use a spring mine that looks like four rudimentary bombs fastened together with zip ties. It’s a refreshing change of pace for the series; it’s less of a military fantasy and more of a Tom Cruise movie. Associate Creative Director Jon Zuk (from Raven, which once again collaborated with Treyarch to create the campaign)