UPDATE 2.30pm UK: Activision has now confirmed that this year’s COD will indeed be called Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
This will be Call of Duty’s 21st mainline game overall, and – fun fact – the first with a number higher than four in the title. Below is Eurogamer’s original report, which delves into contemporary newspaper marketing for the game.
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ORIGINAL STORY 10.30am UK: This year’s yet-to-be-announced COD will be called Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, according to newspaper ads spotted by fans this morning.
Copies of USA Today are pictured with a promotional supplement for this year’s upcoming shooter, featuring the game’s logo and title, and a series of in-universe news stories.
Fictional news items detail the destruction of Mount Rushmore, as seen on the Call of Duty Black Ops 6 teaser website last night.
“Iconic Presidents Blindfolded in Brutal Act,” reads the in-universe headline. The story explains how an unknown group climbed the American monument at night to hang banners that read: “The Truth Lies.” The perpetrators are said to be ‘anti-government extremists’ or ‘anarchist pranksters’.
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Found this at work
byu/Deth3588 inblackops6
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Other headlines describe the failure of the American Dream (now “beyond the reach of the average citizen living in the US”), and the upcoming US elections that would divide society.
“As the cycle continues, it seems clear that the deciding votes will be cast in a few key battleground states that will determine which political puppet will take the blame for the country’s stalled legislative efforts over the next four years,” he said. the newspaper. writes.
“As divisions deepen and trust in political leaders declines, American families must navigate an increasingly polarized landscape marked by uncertainty. As the cycle of empty platitudes continues, the fabric of American society comes under the weight of disillusionment and division.”
Again, just to be clear, this is all meant to be in the universe. I think.
An op-ed, meanwhile, discusses a “culture war” in which “rationality and logic” were “declared dead on the spot after succumbing to fatal wounds sustained in the crossfire.” “Efforts were made to revive critical thinking and common sense through the management of facts and an appeal to shared humanity,” the article continues, “but the efforts proved futile against the relentless onslaught of divisive narratives and deep-seated prejudices.”
Absolutely in-universe, yes.
While this could all point to a more modern setting, it was previously reported that Black Ops 6 will feature the Gulf War. Some even expected the game’s title to be a sequel to Black Ops: Cold War and include the conflict in the title.
The fact that it doesn’t keep the setting vaguer can increase its appeal. It’s also interesting to note that the title drops the Roman numerals from Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 – officially Black Ops IIII.
(And yes, Eurogamer’s Christian Donlan did indeed go to the British Museum to discover the truth about why IIII was used, as an alternative to the more standard Roman numerals for four – IV.)
Microsoft will fully unveil Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 at its Showcase event in June, spending a full hour detailing the game. Of course, we’ve yet to see gameplay and learn a release date. We’re also awaiting details on how Black Ops 6 will launch via Xbox Game Pass – reportedly perhaps via a new, more expensive tier.