UPDATE 14:30 UK: Activision has now confirmed that this year’s COD will indeed be called Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
This will be the 21st Call of Duty game in the main series overall, and – fun fact – the first to have any number higher than four in the title. The original Eurogamer report delving into today’s press marketing for the game is below.
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ORIGINAL STORY 10:30 UK: According to a newspaper ad spotted by fans this morning, this year’s COD, which is still under wraps, will be called Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
Copies of USA Today were shown with a promotional insert for this year’s upcoming shooter, showing the game’s logo and title and a series of messages from outer space.
Fake reports detail the defacement of Mount Rushmore as shown on the Call of Duty Black Ops 6 website last night.
“Iconic blindfolded presidents in cheeky action,” reads the caption in space. The story explains how an unknown group overran an American monument at night to put up banners reading, “Truth Lies.” The culprits are either “anti-government extremists” or “anarchist pranksters”.
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I found them at work
byu/Deth3588 inblackops6
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Other headlines detail the failure of the American Dream (now “out of reach of the average citizen living in the U.S.”) and the upcoming U.S. election, which is said to be dividing society.
“As the cycle accelerates, it is clear that decisive votes will be cast in several key battleground states that will determine the political puppet tasked with taking the blame for the country’s stalled legislative efforts for the next four years,” the paper said. writes.
“As divisions deepen and trust in political leaders declines, American families navigate an increasingly polarized landscape defined by uncertainty. As the cycle of empty platitudes continues, the fabric of American society strains under the weight of disillusionment and division.”
Once again, to be clear, this is all supposed to be in space. I think.
The opinion piece, meanwhile, discusses a “culture war” in which “rationality and logic” were “declared dead at the scene after succumbing to fatal injuries sustained in the crossfire.” “Attempts have been made to revive critical thinking and common sense through the stewardship of facts and appeals to shared humanity,” the article continues, “but these efforts have proven futile against the relentless onslaught of divisive narratives and deep-seated prejudices.”
Definitely in space, yes.
While all of this may suggest a more modern setting, it was previously reported that Black Ops 6 will feature the Gulf War. Indeed, some expected the title of the game to follow Black Ops: Cold War and include conflict in the title.
The fact that it doesn’t keep its setting more vague may help broaden its appeal. It’s also interesting to note that the title excludes the Roman numerals of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 – officially Black Ops IIII.
(And yes, Eurogamer’s Christian Donlan actually went 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 reveal Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 at the Showcase event in June, devoting an entire hour to the details of the game. Of course, we will still see the game and find out the release date. We’re also awaiting details on how Black Ops 6 will launch via Xbox Game Pass – reportedly possibly via some new, more expensive tier.