7 changes for Call of Duty that I know could improve the game in 2025

The birds are singing, the sun is reaching its summer intensity, and we’re smack dab in the middle of two top-tier Call of Duty games. That means it’s a great moment for me to voice my concerns. It feels like spring cleaning, but instead of dusting corners, I’m trying to sweep away the accumulated issues in my beloved 20-year-old game series.

This year’s top-tier Call of Duty game will be the third in the series released since Microsoft bought Activision. With development cycles lasting approximately three to four years per title and over a dozen studios contributing to the Call of Duty universe, we are still waiting to see how Microsoft’s ownership might influence this gaming powerhouse.

2021’s Game of the Year (COD) has seen more development time under Xbox’s supervision than any previous title, making it an excellent indicator of what we might see in the future.

If there’s a Call of Duty title coming out this year, it seems there’s a lot of chatter on social media suggesting that the series might skip a complete release in 2025. So far, there’s been little action from Activision’s marketing team to dispel these rumors.

As I gather information, it seems there might be truth to those whispers suggesting a shift in the usual gameplay structure for the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 in 2024. If this is the case, we could be looking at an extended multiplayer journey that lasts not just one year, but two years instead. Additionally, there are hints of an expansion-like campaign, layered upon the single-player storyline of Black Ops 6, which would certainly make for a captivating and immersive experience.

I’m not completely convinced that Call of Duty 2025 will be an expansion, given that a similar claim was made about Sledgehammer’s Modern Warfare 3 in 2013, and it turned out to be untrue. However, there are certain changes I believe could positively impact the franchise if implemented.

Break up Warzone and Multiplayer

Back when Call of Duty: Warzone first hit the scene, Activision struck gold with a fantastic platform for showcasing their annual COD releases within the Battle Royale genre, all without charging a dime. It was only a matter of time before Warzone and the mainline COD games became intertwined, and that convergence brought forth some captivating new maps that enriched the game’s narrative tapestry.

In the transition to Warzone 2.0, all Call of Duty games now share the same storyline and game engine. This change aims to simplify the integration between main series games and the free-to-play battle royale mode, as well as address some issues with the original Warzone that were perceived as bloat.

Every year, as a new game title is rolled out, players find themselves eagerly anticipating the conclusion of the pre-season before Warzone can be combined with it. The launch period and pre-season for Black Ops 6 were exceptionally prosperous, but the merger of Warzone and Black Ops 6 turned out to be a surprising disappointment.

The exclusive anti-cheat software of COD, named RICOCHET, experienced numerous problems such as frequent crashes and instability issues that lasted for an extended period. To make matters worse, the newly introduced resurgence map, which you might recall is Area 99, was taken down only a few months after its release.

Apart from Warzone, other game modes also experienced this linking issue during the Modern Warfare 3 (2023) period. Surprisingly, Sledgehammer Games opted to elevate player health in Multiplayer modes to align with Warzone players for a consistent weapon balance between the two games.

This resulted in multiplayer gaming experiencing a decrease in speed. In a game style usually characterized by high pace, having a longer time to eliminate (TTK) created an uncomfortable contrast compared to the tactical, deliberate nature of battle royale games.

It’s advantageous when the two methods work harmoniously together, and surprisingly, I’m not as critical of the High Quality (HQ) launcher as many other players tend to be.

I believe it would be more effective for balancing weapons and perks if Multiplayer and Warzone were divided separately, as opposed to the current approach of forcing a universal balance using a ‘one-size-fits-all’ method that seems to be falling short.

Actually, let’s just break up all the game modes?

As time goes by, it’s increasingly clear that the Call of Duty team, made up of over a dozen studios globally, each possess exceptional skills in different facets of gameplay, showcasing their individual brilliance.

Combining various skills effectively to create a unified game with diverse gameplay aspects, which sometimes lack harmony, might be one of the key factors hindering the progress of Call of Duty.

It’s intriguing to ponder how things might unfold if Activision allowed their team to break off Zombies, multiplayer, campaign, and Warzone as separate entities, each housed within Call of Duty HQ. Notably, Treyarch has excelled with the zombies mode in Black Ops 6, consistently releasing new maps every two months and expanding the Dark Aether narrative that ties together the last several Call of Duty games.

However, the team’s energy has been divided among multiple aspects such as multiplayer, ranked play, and Warzone. Given the current excellence of Black Ops 6’s Zombies mode, imagine how exceptional it could become if Treyarch were given the chance to concentrate solely on it!

Yet another year of asking for less weed content

Previously, among the six items I hoped Treyarch would address in Black Ops 6, I proposed an option for players to include a setting within the configuration menu that allows them to filter out cannabis-related content.

The request for fewer cannabis-themed items has been incorporated in this year’s Call of Duty, as it seems that Treyarch took note of the feedback and significantly reduced such themes.

To clarify, I’m not one of those old-fashioned types who simply doesn’t want children to enjoy themselves. In fact, you could say I’m quite enthusiastic about it, as evidenced by my eagerness when a new, eye-catching collection comes out, like a sparkling unicorn bundle, and I’m ready with my credit card in hand. So, please understand that it’s not a dislike for all bundles or fun in general that drives this particular request.

But at the end of the day, weed-themed content can pose a unique problem for some players.

Previously, Call of Duty has set certain restrictions on who can access specific character skins, particularly during PlayStation exclusivity deals where exclusive skins were displayed as generic military operator skins for non-PlayStation users. It seems logical to introduce an option that would allow players to hide or show drug-themed content in a similar fashion.

Begone AI slop

Call of Duty’s development team consists of multiple studios, but Activision, owned by Microsoft, is outsourcing at least a portion of the game’s asset creation to generative AI, causing discontent among players. What’s more troubling is that these assets generated by AI are being marketed as part of microtransactions in game packages and given out as rewards for in-game activities — some of which require additional payment to fully redeem.

Nobody wants this.

At first, Activision opted to keep quiet regarding the inclusion of artificially produced visuals in their Call of Duty series. However, due to Steam’s rule mandating disclosures for games employing AI, the publisher was ultimately compelled to admit that they were indeed using artificial intelligence.

AI-created visuals face numerous controversies, ranging from allegations of unauthorized use in training big language models, which may include artists’ works without their explicit permission, to concerns about ecological harm due to the construction and maintenance of generative AI technology.

It also just looks bad. (I’m looking at you, Season 2 marketing images.)

It’s undeniable that Call of Duty, with its massive earnings and regular top spot on monthly sales rankings, ought to find a way in the budget for a real artist to design custom items like decals, badges, and visual perks.

Out with the old, in with the new

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 seems to be a fitting finale for the Black Ops saga, as the narrative has grown intricate to the point where one needs a diagram and a deep understanding of conspiracy theories to distinguish fact from fiction.

The longing for the Black Ops games from past times was strongly felt in the multiplayer and prestige honors for Black Ops 6, suggesting a desire to recapture the essence of those earlier titles.

It’s pleasing to notice that elements similar to those seen in BO6 are resurfacing, adding a touch of nostalgia. However, I’m eagerly anticipating some new characters. The post-release updates started off robustly, introducing support character Sevati Dumas (played by Karen David), but by Season 3, the developers reverted to Frank Woods and Russell Adler, along with deceased characters from the past who are once again playable in Warzone for…well, it’s not entirely clear why.

Instead of persistently justifying conformity to the past, I’d prefer Call of Duty to experiment with introducing new characters, unique emblems (excluding AI ones), and possibly even entirely new narratives.

Situational weapon balance

This adjustment is connected to the debate about the equilibrium between Warzone and Multiplayer modes in Call of Duty that we discussed earlier, and I’d like to delve deeper into it since, in my opinion, it represents one of the most significant gameplay challenges for the franchise.

Since weapons in Call of Duty are designed for use in both multiplayer and Warzone, it creates distinct difficulties when it comes to weapon balancing. In multiplayer, the gameplay involves quick respawns and frequent engagements in close quarters, with occasional mid-range combat thrown in. This rapid-fire action requires careful consideration of how weapons perform in these various situations.

In Warzone, it’s common for players to have battles at a distance, making guns such as snipers and assault rifles more effective.

In the thrilling days of Modern Warfare 3 (MW3), something intriguing took place in the world of Warzone. It was during this time that Raven Software and Sledgehammer Games decided to prioritize weapon balance, making sure the gunplay felt consistent across both Multiplayer and Warzone. This wasn’t just what I imagined or hoped for; it was actually happening, shaping the dynamic gameplay we now enjoy.

From my perspective, the implementation of ranked play mode has added another layer of complexity to the game. The developers are now focusing on ensuring all types of weapons have an equal chance in any situation, thereby making each weapon a potential match for the others.

Due to this prioritization, our weapon metas (metadata for weapons) make it challenging to create a loadout tailored to your individual play style that can effectively counter them. For instance, in some cases, submachine guns (SMGs) function like sniper rifles with no recoil, allowing them to eliminate players from across the map in as little as 3-5 rounds. In contrast, older Call of Duty versions featured SMGs with more bouncy recoil and minimal damage at longer ranges.

As a tech-loving enthusiast, I’ve noticed an interesting shift in combat dynamics: SMGs and shotguns are now holding their own even at long ranges, giving snipers and marksmen a run for their money! The balance of power no longer solely relies on individual skill, but rather on the strategic tweaks and adjustments – nerfs and buffs – that come with each update’s patch notes.

Adjusting the effectiveness of weapons based on factors like range, added accessories, and the specific battlefield conditions would significantly enhance the variety and balance of weapons in Call of Duty.

Overhaul RICOCHET anti-cheat

Over the past few years, I’ve delved deep into discussions about Activision’s unique anti-cheat system, RICOCHET. It’s been quite a thrilling ride, with its performance varying significantly. In the time of Modern Warfare 3 (2023), RICOCHET anti-cheat was operating at its peak efficiency.

The group was exceptionally open about their anti-cheat strategies, detailing novel approaches that would cause cheaters to engage with each other instead, or expose themselves on social platforms and livestreams. Additionally, they gathered information that enhanced the overall system performance.

In the time of Black Ops 6, the anti-cheat measures weren’t very effective. The combination of Warzone and Black Ops 6 during Season 1 was a catastrophe, as players experienced prolonged periods without any counteraction against cheating. After a reported data outage that supposedly destroyed the entire system, there was no response or recognition of the problem from Activision for weeks.

Activision’s Team RICOCHET keeps assuring that they are consistently enhancing their anti-cheat measures, while on the other hand, Activision’s lawyers have been busy sending cease and desist notices to cheat creators.

One debatable strategy employed by the current development team involves granting console users the option to exclude themselves from cross-platform play.

Based on information from the Call of Duty team, it appears that a majority of players who employ cheats do so on PC systems. Given this fact, it’s understandable why console gamers might feel aggrieved when they are grouped together with a significant number of suspected cheaters.

The issue, though, lies in the fact that not all players using PCs cheat, and those who don’t want to be grouped with those who do, without any escape option. Although separating cross-play seems like a viable solution initially, it’s merely a temporary fix for a much deeper problem – a small patch on a grievous wound.

To ensure the success of Call of Duty 2025, it’s crucial that the anti-cheat measures are perfectly implemented from the very beginning. I’m comfortable with the team continuing to use RICOCHET, but it should be their top priority before the game is launched this fall, so it can be installed on gamers’ computers without any issues.

2025-05-27 14:11