Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Leak Hints League Play Is Finally Returning
With Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War just around the corner, it looks like Treyarch has a few more surprises up its sleeve. We already know there will be the long-awaited return of Zombies, and now, a reputable leak suggests there will also be a revival for Call of Duty League Play after an eight-year absence.
Introduced in Call of Duty: Black Ops II, League Play was a new matchmaking system that allowed you to play against rivals from around the world and matched you on skill level. It was a popular addition - and while we've had similar ones with the likes of Black Ops III's Arena - League Play was a short-lived addition to the franchise. With Treyarch being known as the overseer of the Black Ops series, it makes sense the developer is resurrecting some of its forgotten features.
Is Call of Duty League Play returning?
Posting on Twitter, @TheGhostofMW2 shared a screenshot of "combat record" in the barracks section. The implication in having a League subcategory is all-but confirmation League Play will be making a triumphant return. By the looks of it, there will a separate playlist for competitive play that will rank you based on your skill level. Either way, it's clearly different from standard Multiplayer and Zombies modes.
There's no escaping the popularity of League Play as arguably one of the most desired CoD playlists. As a complete ranked mode, players can grind up through the ranks like they love to do in other first-person shooters including VALORANT and Apex Legends. Ranked modes including Clan versus Clan appeared in Call of Duty: Ghosts, however, none have quite hit the highs of League Play in BO2. Many would attribute League Play as part of what helped Black Ops II become of the best titles in the franchise's history.
How does League Play work?
The Black Ops II League worked by dropping players into five placement matches. When they'd finished, you were then placed into one of the following skill divisions: Master, Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze, Iron. You could set up a perfect class without having to reach Level 55, meaning League Play opened up all Weapons, Attachments, Equipment, and Scorestreaks in Create-a-Class.
Weapons didn't have a level, while the only way to get Camos or Reticles was to unlock them in Public Match Create-a-Class. Rank Levels increased by 1000 if a match was won and decreased by 500 if it was lost. These also affected a player's rank in their own division.
It's unclear if League Play will work the same in Black Ops Cold War, but there isn't long to wait to find out. Before you go running for your guns, let's remember we've been here before. Only last year, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare teased League Play, only to opt for a Ranked League playlist instead.
The introduction of League Play would also address criticisms over Skill-based Matchmaking (SBMM) that plagued the Beta. It's a shrewd move to bring back such a fan-favourite feature and tackle one of the game's criticisms in one fell swoop. Will League Play really return for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War? Watch this space.
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