What you need to know
- In mid-August, Activision and the development teams working on Call of Duty announced the COD HQ launcher would undergo significant updates leading up to and following the launch of Black Ops 6.
- The first changes to the Call of Duty launcher were released later in August as part of the Season 5 Reloaded update for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in preparation for the Black Ops 6 beta.
- Speaking at COD Next, Yale Miller of Treyarch said all the Call of Duty studios were “on a journey” to work on a better data management initiative for the franchise’s launcher, but that “currently, we’re not there.”
- A new user interface is set to roll out in mid-October ahead of the October 25 release of Black Ops 6.
As an observer with over two decades of gaming under my belt, it’s always fascinating to witness the evolution of a gaming behemoth like Call of Duty (CoD). The latest updates to the CoD HQ launcher, especially in preparation for Black Ops 6, are a testament to the game’s enduring popularity and the developers’ unwavering commitment to improving the player experience.
Upon the simultaneous debut of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022) and Warzone 2.0, these games were merged into a unified platform as part of a multi-studio project aimed at simplifying the game development process and providing seamless access points for the franchise to players. Regrettably, this launcher appears to have succumbed to some of the very issues that plagued its bulky precursor, leading to a need for improvement. In an attempt to rectify this situation, the teams responsible for the blockbuster first-person shooter series are now engaged in a fresh initiative to overhaul the launcher prior to the October 25 rollout of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
Starting a significant change, Modern Warfare 2 by Infinity Ward marked the beginning of an epoch where all Call of Duty games would be developed using a common “Call of Duty development platform” or simply, the COD engine. (No, no secret codename was given for this; it’s just the Call of Duty engine.)
As a game analyst, I recall the backlash when Modern Warfare 3 was released by Sledgehammer Games, being criticized as more of a DLC expansion rather than a standalone game due to its inclusion in Call of Duty HQ. Now, with Black Ops 6 from Treyarch Studios due for release on October 25, there’s a sense of anticipation among players for the next premium title. However, whispers and rumors have started to swirl that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 might require an excessive storage space of over 300GB, which has sparked concerns among the gaming community.
In about two weeks before the start of the Black Ops 6 beta, the Call of Duty team announced they were revamping the Call of Duty Headquarters. The initial phase of these updates became active with the debut of Season 5 Reloaded for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
During Call of Duty: Next, I sat down in a group interview with Matt Scronce and Yale Miller from Treyarch Studios. During our time together, the two spoke about the current state of the Call of Duty experience leading into the Black Ops 6 beta weekends and the “Time to Fun” initiative driving the UI changes for the COD launcher. “Currently, we’re on, I guess I would call it a journey to get where we want to be,” said Miller.
During the beta testing phase for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, players who owned Modern Warfare 3 needed to utilize the Call of Duty launcher for Modern Warfare 3 first. After loading Modern Warfare 3, they would then choose a card for the Black Ops 6 beta from the menu that appeared. Modern Warfare 3 would subsequently close, and Black Ops 6 would take its place. Naturally, it wouldn’t be Call of Duty without an “Update requires restart” message causing the game to close once more. Following this third step, players could then start playing Black Ops 6.
In essence, the Season 5 Reloaded update separated Warzone from the last two premium Call of Duty titles, allowing players more freedom to choose which games they install and what specific parts of those games, such as Campaign, Multiplayer, Zombies, Warzone, or DMZ, are included in their launcher setup.
Despite the smaller file size allowing for a more streamlined launcher and quicker access to your games, Miller acknowledges that the “time to fun” project still has room for improvement. “We’re striving to make the entire process smoother,” said Miller. “Currently, we’re not at our goal. Without a doubt, we’re not at our goal. A significant leap forward is expected with the release of Black Ops 6. Even then, it’s about organizing and optimizing the gaming ecosystem so that all games can be loaded from it.
Before the final version is ready, sneak peeks at the revamped UI have moved away from the troublesome “streaming service” layout with endless horizontal boxes that has been a source of frustration for Call of Duty players over the past two years. Instead, initial previews showcase a more tile-based design. The new user interface is set to debut in mid-October, preceding the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. When Season 1 starts on an as-yet undisclosed date, players can expect to start both Black Ops 6 and Warzone from the same main page within the sleeker new launcher.
On October 25, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is set for release on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC platforms. This game marks a significant milestone as it will be the initial title from the series to debut simultaneously on Xbox Game Pass, thanks to the merger between Activision and Xbox. Furthermore, it signifies the conclusion of PlayStation’s marketing partnership with Activision.
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2024-09-12 22:10