The recent launch ofCall of Duty: Black Ops 6has marked a huge amount of positive change for the longstanding franchise, with Treyarch having made a lot of bold decisions that go against the grain of what fans have come to recently expect. The campaign, core multiplayer, and Zombies experiences of the title are generally being seen as a return to form for the series, but there is of course still room for improvement.
As expected, a huge amount of post-launch content is slated forCall of Duty: Black Ops 6’s multiplayer and Zombies modes, with several new maps, weapons, and more already being introduced to the title so early on into its life cycle. Of all the issues thatBlack Ops 6currently has, the divisive nature of its multiplayer map pool is one of the most pressing, and the title may have to look at reintroducing maps fromBlack Ops’ past to help alleviate this, despite how controversial this approach has been for other projects like the recentModern Warfarerebooted trilogy.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Could Benefit a Lot From a Smart Approach to Map Remasters
TheCall of Dutyfranchise has drawn a lot of controversy in recent years for its large-scale recycling of past content, with this reaching a fever pitch with the 2023 launch ofModern Warfare 3.The notoriously short development time forMW3clearly had a detrimental impact on the creativity of its multiplayer content, with the game’s launch map pool being entirely composed of remastered maps from 2009’sModern Warfare 2.
While this 2009 map pool contains some iconic maps, the completelack of original map content fromModern Warfare 3at launchunderstandably drew a lot of criticism. This issue was echoed throughout the franchise’s recent focus on theMWreboot, with 2022’sMW2also introducing a lot of pre-existing maps, such as Dome and Shipment, to its map pool through its post-launch seasons.
This lack of original identity, made worse by the franchise’s move to a centralCall of Dutyhub to access all new releases, was a serious issue for the likes ofMW2andMW3, and Treyarch may have pivoted too far away from the concept of remastering older maps with the design approach forBlack Ops 6. Prior to launch, many fans were inspired by the news thatBlack Ops 6would feature 11 completely original 6v6 maps upon release, although these maps have given way to their own brand of criticism.
A Few Remastered Maps Can Take the Heat Away From Black Ops 6’s Launch Experiences
Many of the core maps forBlack Ops 6do not follow the traditional three-lane approach that manyCoDmaps are renowned for, with some fans feeling that this throws off the pacing and general gameplay of what otherwise is an enjoyable multiplayer experience. Of course, manymore maps will be added toBlack Ops 6over the course of its post-launch seasons, and Tryearch can afford to select a few maps from the widerBlack Opscatalog to be remastered for these future additions.
As long as this is done sparingly,Black Ops 6can easily avoid the past criticisms ofMW3andMW2and their over-reliance on past content, withBO6having already introduced the historic Nuketown map to its multiplayer. Iconic maps like Firing Range, Hijacked, and WMD could easily be transferred toBlack Ops 6to take some pressure off of the original maps of the title, allowing the history of the sub-franchise to be celebrated without completely dominating what should largely be a new and exciting experience for fans.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
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Forced to go rogue. Hunted from within. This is Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.Developed by Treyarch and Raven, Black Ops 6 is a spy action thriller set in the early 90s, a period of transition and upheaval in global politics, characterized by the end of the Cold War and the rise of the United States as a single superpower. With a mind-bending narrative, and unbound by the rules of engagement, this is signature Black Ops.The Black Ops 6 Campaign provides dynamic moment-to-moment gameplay that includes a variety of play spaces with blockbuster set pieces and action-packed moments, high-stakes heists, and cloak-and-dagger spy activity.In a best-in-class Multiplayer experience, players will test their skills across 16 new maps at launch, including 12 core 6v6 maps and 4 Strike maps that can be played 2v2 or 6v6.Black Ops 6 also marks the epic return of Round-Based Zombies, the fan-favorite mode where players will take down hordes of the undead in two brand-new maps at launch. Post-launch, players can look forward to even more exciting maps and groundbreaking experiences dropping into both Multiplayer and Zombies.
