Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has been 'playable' for two years, says developer
The next Call of Duty promises to be the best one yet, if one of the game's developers is to be believed
😮 Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has been revealed
🤔 The game is described as “a dark new chapter”
👏 It’s been playtested for over two years and has had the longest development cycle of any Call of Duty game to date
📆 A full reveal will take place on June 9 after the Xbox Games Showcase
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has been officially announced by Activision and Xbox, and according to a developer, it’s been playable for two years.
The next Call of Duty, which will undoubtedly get tills ringing and bring in a boatload of cash for Microsoft in the process, is being developed by Treyarch Studios and Raven Software. It returns to the globe-trotting Black Ops franchise, which saw its last entry in 202, and is being described as “a dark new chapter”.
The game has reportedly enjoyed a lengthier development cycle than most entries in the series and has benefited from extensive play testing, according to Treyarch developer, Nicole Havin.
Havin, who is a game designer on Call of Duty’s zombies mode, posted on X: “I’ve been playtesting this one for 2 years! y’all aren’t ready 😁🤫 #BlackOps6”
That’s encouraging news considering many felt Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was rushed, particularly the campaign. The game ended up with a rather abysmal Metacritic score of 56 after 71 reviews, which is much lower than the series is used to.
A full reveal of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will take place on June 9, after Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase. The game’s multi-million dollar marketing campaign has already begun, with a full-page ad appearing in USA Today newspaper.
A teaser trailer called “wake up (rushmore) #thetruthlies” has also been released, showing a squad vandalizing the historic monument with blindfolds. The game will likely be set during the Gulf War.
No release date has been given, or which versions of the game will be available to purchase, but it could be the first Call of Duty to launch straight into Xbox Game Pass on day one. Microsoft has reportedly been mulling over the decision to put Call of Duty on Xbox Game Pass, but it’s expected to arrive on the subscription service and could be part of a new, more expensive tier.
We’ll let you know when Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 preorders go live, as it’s bound to be one of the biggest games of the year – as usual.
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.