Tag: Activision
News Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Players Fed Up with Activision's 'AI Slop' Artwork
How many fingers should Santa have?
A six-fingered image of zombie Father Christmas appears to be the last straw for some Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 fans, who claim this is the telltale sign of low-effort generative AI. At the same time, Activision defenders insist it references the sixth entry in the subseries. The authenticity of Santa's horrible...
News Black Ops 6 Is Going Free for a Whole Week on PS5, PS4
Eyes on target
If you've been on the fence about buying Black Ops 6, you may be interested in knowing that the game's going free to play all next week. The popular shooter launched for PS5 and PS4 back in October, and was met with very positive reviews from critics. The fan reception has been a bit up and down since then — as it always is when it...
News Infinity Ward's Turn in 2026, Sledgehammer Games in 2027, Says Call of Duty Insider
2025 remains a mystery
As everyone is still glued to Black Ops 6, it might seem too soon to start looking ahead to future releases, but the voracious Call of Duty beast never rests. According to a known series insider, Sledgehammer Games will reportedly lead development on 2027's inevitable Call of Duty release. This same leaker expects that 2
News Black Ops 6 Is the 'Biggest Call of Duty Ever', Player Engagement Through the Roof
In the 30 days since launch
In further proof that we are living in a simulation, the Call of Duty series 2024 entry, Black Ops 6, is the biggest yet in the franchise's 21-year history. That's in terms of both sales and player engagement, with publisher Activision proudly crowing BO6 ranks #1 in terms of launch window hours and matches played...
News Strong Fan Backlash Forces Treyarch to Reverse Black Ops 6 XP Token Erasure
Apparently a UI bug
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 developer Treyarch has been forced to reverse its decision to remove legacy XP tokens from the game following a very heavy wave of fan backlash and criticism. Upon the launch of Season 1 on Thursday, players noticed the Black Ops 6 multiplayer menu screen had been updated to let them use the XP tokens...
Realism vs absurdity
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is drawing increasingly heavy criticism from its community for pretty much instantly dropping the somewhat serious nature of its multiplayer skins for the absurd, unrealistic cosmetics that dropped yesterday with Season 1. Instead of standard military men and women seen in the campaign, Treyarch has...
News Black Ops 6, Warzone Season 1 Is Live Now with New Maps, Battle Pass
Plus more to come in Season 1 refresh
Following one of the strongest launches in the series' entire history, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has been updated with its first season of content. Also covering Battle Royale spin-off Warzone, Season 1 provides fresh multiplayer and Zombies content, as well as the game's first Battle Pass to work through...
News Black Ops 6 Gets One of the Biggest Call of Duty Updates Ever in Season One
Six multiplayer maps, new Zombies map, and new Resurgence map
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will be treated to one of the series' biggest-ever seasonal updates on 14th November 2024 as Season One begins across both the new game and Warzone. Some of the content will be available on day one and other bits will be rolled out throughout the season. In...
News Three New Black Ops 6 Maps Teased for Season One
Hideout, Extraction, and Heirloom
Treyarch has now teased the first three post-launch maps coming to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 as part of its Season One content update. Set to arrive on 14th November 2024, the three maps arriving for free are Hideout, Extraction, and finally Heirloom. All of them support 6v6 player matches, and Heirloom is also...
News PS5 Dominates UK Black Ops 6 Sales, As Game Pass Causes Xbox Share to Collapse
Up 30% on PS5, down 66% on Xbox
The sales of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 were always going to be absolutely fascinating because Microsoft has tampered with the franchise’s tried-and-trusted business model. Traditionally, the series has relied on strong full-price sales, and then has enjoyed long-tail success through microtransactions released...
News PS5 Pro Will Upgrade the Xbox-Owned Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Diablo 4 to be enhanced too
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has appeared in an official Sony list of PS5 Pro launch games, confirming Treyarch is working on enhancements for the upgraded console despite now being owned by Microsoft. It's not known just yet what those technical updates will be, but Diablo 4 also appears on the list, so it seems the Xbox...
News Black Ops 6 Double XP Event Extended, Miserly Reward Bug Quashed
Let the good times roll
A glitch has been addressed that may have limited the amount of XP earned during Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's first double XP weekend, and thus, developer Treyarch has opted to extend the good times. The bonuses will run through 5th November until 10 AM PT or your local equivalent. Activision took quick action and pushed out...
News Black Ops 6 Enjoyers Rewarded with Double XP All Weekend on PS5, PS4
Get on that grind
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is officially in the mix, competing for the hearts and minds of gamers alongside other probable GotY contenders Metaphor: ReFantazio and the imminent Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Unlike those nerdy RPGs, Treyarch is dialling up the XP rewards over the weekend, so if you'd rather efficiently grind out levels...
Review Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (PS5) - The Strongest Return to FPS Form
Gulf in class
Nobody likes a quitter, and last year’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is proof of what can happen when you get your head down and work to right one’s wrongs. Heavily criticised as a glorified DLC, a year of unmatched support has seen the game rise from the ashes as one of the most robust, content-rich multiplayer offerings the...
News Nuketown Inbound for Black Ops 6 on PS5, PS4
Boom goes the dynamite
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is now in the hands of players, who seem strangely content, at least for now. Well, with some luck, the good times will roll into the weekend, with the iconic Nuketown map set to drop tomorrow, 1st November, and we have an explosive trailer to tide us over in the meantime. Nuketown looks just as...
News Black Ops 6 Devs Walk Out, Activision Strike Makes the Local News
QA workers have had enough
In stark juxtaposition to the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, the series' biggest hit in years, Activision quality assurance testers who worked on the game are striking in protest of the company's return-to-work mandate. Around 30 employees at Activision's QA studio in Eden Prarie, Minnesota, walked off the job on...
News Nuketown Map, Infected Mode on the Way to Black Ops 6 This Week
Infected mode today, Nuketown on Friday
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 developer Treyarch confirmed the first batch of post-launch updates for the FPS will arrive as soon as today, less than one week after launch. The zombie-focused Infected mode, which makes players turn into the undead once they're killed by other human-controlled zombies, arrives...
News Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Enjoys the Series' Biggest Launch in Years
Never count COD out
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is now out in the wild, and Activision is currently enjoying the biggest traditional release the series has seen in years. With a whopping 306,460 concurrent players on Steam alone, it's enough to make you question what decade we are currently living in. Many, many additional COD players are no doubt...
News Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Offers $20 Premium 'Pay-to-Hear' Audio Tech
Sound good?
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 drops imminently, on 25th October on PS5 and PS4, and the latest action-packed instalment will support an Enhanced Headphone Mode. This mode uses Immerse Spatial Audio technology to "increase the directional accuracy of sounds" in-game, which can be further customised to your head shape. This third-party audio...
News Black Ops 6 Another Call of Duty with No PS5 Platinum Trophy
A DLC list for Modern Warfare 2 again
Because of the way the Call of Duty franchise is handled on PS5, Black Ops 6 will be the second entry in a row missing a Platinum Trophy for the current-gen version. Instead, it will be added to your PS5 Profile page as a DLC list for 2022's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, as was last year's Modern Warfare 3...
News Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Blocked in Kuwait, Activision Refunds Preorders
Puublisher is "hopeful that local authorities will reconsider"
Out next week, and almost certain to ruffle some feathers, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has not been approved for release in Kuwait. Publisher Activision is refunding all preorders and refrained from sharing the specific reasoning, although it doesn't take a professor of modern history to...
News As Tony Hawk's Pro Skater Turns 25, the Birdman All But Confirms There's More to Come
"There will be a future"
One of PlayStation's biggest success stories is the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series. While there have been some sloppy landings here and there, the skateboarding franchise has been extremely popular ever since the first entry, which released 25 years ago. The series' namesake has commented on not only the legacy of the games,...
News Tony Hawk Teases He and Activision Are 'Working on Something' as Series Turns 25
Is Pro Skater 3 + 4 coming after all?
Tony Hawk, the legendary skateboarder and namesake of Activision's beloved skateboarding game series, has teased something in relation to the franchise's 25th anniversary. Speaking in an interview with Mythical Kitchen, the Californian appears to more or less confirm a new game of some sort in the Tony Hawk's...
News No Campaign Early Access for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Wait until 25th October to play it
Treyarch has announced it's bucking the trend established by Call of Duty games of the past couple of years and won't be making the Black Ops 6 campaign available to play one week early. In Modern Warfare 2 and Modern Warfare 3, pre-ordering the game granted you seven days of early access to the campaign, meaning...
News Black Ops 6 Nerfs Its Best Weapon for Second PS5, PS4 Beta Weekend
Jackal PDW dominance already over
The Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 beta returns for a second weekend of availability today, but the gun that was on the tip of everyone's tongue the first time out won't be back in quite the same shape. An SMG named the Jackal PDW dominated matches during the beta's first weekend, and now Treyarch has addressed its...
News Tony Hawk's Pro Skater Social Media Channels Get New 25th Anniversary Branding
29th September is the big day
Activision seems ready to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater franchise, as the official Twitter and YouTube pages have been updated with fresh artwork marking the historic moment. Seen below, the image uses a blacked-out version of the Tony Hawk silhouette from the recent Pro Skater 1 + 2...
News Here's Your First Look at Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's Chaotic Competitive PS5, PS4 Multiplayer
Will you become a Prestige Master?
We’ve seen the single player campaign in action. We know all about the returning Zombies mode. So now it’s time to learn about Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s chaotic multiplayer suite. For now, it’s just a montage trailer, but boy does it look like a return to form! There’ll be 16 all-new maps available at...
News Crash Bandicoot 5 Reportedly Cut in Favour of More Live Service Games
The Crash, Spyro teamup that could have been
In news that will likely come as a gut punch to fans of precocious marsupials, a new report from gaming historian Liam Robertson (thanks, VGC) alleges that Crash Bandicoot 5 was in development at Toys for Bob but was cancelled after Activision pulled funding in favour of live-service multiplayer...
News Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Goes Hitman in Glitzy Campaign Gameplay on PS5, PS4
Most wanted
Activision has shown off a decent chunk of gameplay from its upcoming FPS, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Focusing solely on the campaign in this year's entry, the six-minute video takes us through the highlights of a single mission, 'Most Wanted', and it looks like a raucous good time. It all goes a bit Hitman to start with; playing as an...
News You'll Be Able to Play Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's Zombies in Third-Person
A new perspective
Call of Duty is, as you all know, a first-person shooter. But the highly anticipated Zombies mode for Black Ops 6 will allow you to toggle to a third-person perspective, so you can get your undead slaughtering fix from behind the back of your character as opposed to down the barrel of your gun. It’s part of a suite of...
News This Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Zombies Trailer Is Stupidly High Budget
All the money
Can anyone honestly say they’re following the story of Call of Duty’s Zombies mode? We’ve been tangentially aware of the lore for some time now, but we couldn’t tell you the first thing about it. The upcoming Black Ops 6 will apparently continue the so-called Dark Aether plot, but we don’t really know what that is Here’s...
News WWE Wrestlers Team Up in Warzone, Modern Warfare 3 Season 5 Update
Rhea Ripley! Cody Rhodes! Rey Mysterio!
WWE superstars Rhea Ripley, Cody Rhodes, and Rey Mysterio have been announced as the next famous faces to appear in the crossover bonanza that is the Call of Duty series. Available from next week on 24th July 2024 in Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone, you'll unlock the Rhea Ripley skin as soon as you purchase the...
News Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Nails Down Upcoming Multiplayer Beta Dates
Duty calls
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is creeping ever closer, and Activision has revealed the dates players can come to grips with its next game, offering multiple opportunities to try it out ahead of launch. Depending on your buy-in level, you could play for over a week at the end of August and into September. Announced on its blog, Call of Duty...
News Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's Retro Bit Party Mode Looks Like an Absolute Blast
Press start to play
A colourful new game mode is coming to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in the form of Bit Party. The pixel-inspired action kicks off Season 4, which goes live today, 26th June. Earning kills in this mode will cause the killer's head to grow in size, making the headshot required to end the streak that much more straightforward...
That's no spin
Released in 2017 (was it really that long ago?!), Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy has just hit an impressive sales milestone. The collection, which is available across PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PC, has topped 20 million — and at least by our count, that makes it the single highest selling Crash Bandicoot release ever...
News Xbox Really Wasn't Happy with PlayStation's Call of Duty Marketing Deal
Phil Spencer says Microsoft won't do "slimy platform things"
Microsoft has spent $69 billion on Activision Blizzard, so now it calls the shots when it comes to juggernaut franchise, Call of Duty. Of course, previously, starting with Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 in 2015, Sony had marketing dibs on the series, which meant it could advertise annual...
News Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Demands Always Online Internet Connection, Campaign Included
Dialled in
Activision has officially put a date on Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, showing off the spy action thriller and announcing it will launch on the 25th October on PS5 and PS4. With store pages now live, it didn't take eagle-eyed viewers long to spot some new additions, such as this year's edition requiring an always-online internet connection to...
News Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Gets October Release Date on PS5, PS4
On either the 17th or 25th
Today's the day Activision lifts the lid on Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, but since PS Store pre-orders have gone live before the show even takes place, some key details have already been made public. Most importantly, the game releases for PS5 and PS4 this October. The PS Store lists a date of 17th October 2024, but that...
News Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Live-Action Trailer Revealed
Releases on Xbox Game Pass day one
Activision has today posted the first piece of promotional material for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, in the form of a black and white live-action trailer. More of a mood piece than anything else really, the big news here is Microsoft has indeed committed to releasing the game on Xbox Game Pass straight away now it...
News Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Now Official, Reveal Next Month
After the Xbox Games Showcase
Update: Activision has now posted to Twitter that this year's Call of Duty game is now officially called Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. The full reveal will take place next month following the Xbox Games Showcase on 9th June 2024. Original article: Activision has officially begun teasing this year's Call of Duty game...
News Microsoft Commits to Next Call of Duty Game on Xbox Game Pass, New Report Says
All or nothing
Following reports of internal debates at Microsoft over whether the next Call of Duty entry should be part of Xbox Game Pass at launch following the firm's acquisition of Activision, a new article from the Wall Street Journal claims it has now settled on going forward with plans to bundle the FPS in with the subscription service...
News This Year's Call of Duty May Not Be Included in Xbox Game Pass After All
Microsoft keeping a close eye on the financials
One of the big reasons Xbox fans were so eager for Microsoft to purchase Activision Blizzard was the promise of the juggernaut publisher’s output being included in subscription Game Pass at no extra cost. However, it appears the bean counters at the Redmond firm are reconsidering, and Xbox Series X|S...
News Activision Reportedly Rejected Vicarious Visions' Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 Pitch
In favour of supplementary work on Call of Duty
Nostalgic players on PS5 and PS4 warmly received Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2, so it seemed reasonable enough to assume that another collection could be in the offing. Sadly, according to a new report, Vicarious Visions pitched Activision on the subject, but it was summarily rejected, with the studio...
News Whoa! Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time Has Sold More Than 5 Million Copies
Head spinning
It seems Toys for Bob's warmly received Crash Bandicoot sequel has been a huge success. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, the first numbered sequel in the series since 1998's Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped, has sold over five million copies, according to the studio's design director, Toby Schadt. It's About Time is a return to the...
News Crash Team Rumble Support Winding Down with Final Update Next Week
Will remain online for now, though
Multiplayer spin-off Crash Team Rumble is an inoffensive and novel game for fans of Activision’s platforming hero, but it seems it doesn't have the player base to keep things moving. Developer Toys for Bob has announced that post-launch support for the game is drawing to a close, with the final update coming next...
News Crash Bandicoot Developer Toys for Bob Struck by Layoffs, Office Closure
The ongoing cost of consolidation
Layoffs have been reported at Toys for Bob, the developer behind Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time and the Spyro: Reignited Trilogy. They form part of the ongoing consolidation efforts necessitated by parent company Activision's acquisition by Microsoft, resulting in 1900 roles being made redundant. Some 86 workers...
Rumour Call of Duty Games Will Feature Open World Campaigns Starting This Year
Gulf War apparently the first
Word on the street is that future Call of Duty games will expand their single-player offerings with open world campaigns. The first of these will be this year's entry, which is supposedly Black Ops Gulf War. That's according to Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson, who has heard from sources that the open world-style...
News Call of Duty Boss Takes the Top Job at Blizzard
Former NFL exec is in
Blizzard, now a Microsoft subsidiary of course, has gone through something of a shake up in the last couple of weeks. And now the company has confirmed ex-Call of Duty boss Johanna Faries as its next head honcho, following the unexpected departure of Mike Ybarra last week. Faries, who previously spent 12 years working for the...
News Cancelled Call of Duty Game Posted Online, Was Set in the Future
From the Tony Hawk dev Neversoft
Footage from a scrapped Call of Duty game has surfaced online, revealing in development gameplay of its single player and multiplayer offering. The project was reportedly meant to take the Call of Duty: Ghosts slot in 2013 and would have been the franchise's first entry set in the future before it was cancelled. The...
News Microsoft, Activision Cut 1,900 Jobs in More Video Game Layoffs
Bethesda employees also affected
Microsoft will be laying off 1,900 workers across its gaming divisions, an IGN report reveals. Divisions affected include internal teams at Microsoft, Bethesda, and the recently acquired Activision Blizzard. In a message sent to staff, Xbox head Phil Spencer said those affected will receive "severance benefits...
