Should The Release Of Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Have Been Delayed?
The Call of Duty franchise returned to the Black Ops sub-franchise for the first time in four years with the release of Black Ops Cold War, the direct sequel to the very first Black Ops title that released all the way back in 2010.
After the resounding success of the 2019 reboot of Modern Warfare, expectations were high from both casual and competitive communities as Treyarch placed itself back into the driving seat for the first time since Black Ops 4.
After four weeks, the core game has been met with resounding positivity. A return to basic mechanics has proved popular amongst the player base, but a lack of map variety and a poorly balanced weapon arsenal has been the cause of several complaints from players.
With a range of issues, including the controversial subject of skill-based matchmaking, should the release of Black Ops Cold War have been pushed back to a later date?
The Sensible Decision
Click to enlargeConsidering that the world is still in the grips of a global pandemic, a slight delay to the latest Call of Duty title would’ve been the least of everyone’s worries. If the release date was pushed back to the end of November, it would’ve given developer and Black Ops pioneers Treyarch a bit more time to finish any launch content and fine-tune the weapon balance.
Black Ops Cold War released with just eight multiplayer maps in the pool, and the lack of variety quickly became apparent even with the addition of an 80s-themed Nuketown later in the month. It is believed that two of the maps arriving in the first season of post-launch content were meant to make the release of the game, rounding the total up to ten, and likely providing that small slice of variety that would’ve satisfied the demand of players.
It’s not just the number of maps that would’ve benefitted from a delay. During the beta for Black Ops Cold War, the overall balance of the weapon arsenal was almost perfect, with every single weapon proving to be effective when in specific scenarios. With no standout weapon that everyone jumped on, the potential of the game featuring an incredible variety of viable weapons was at an all-time high. When the game released, this quickly changed as players were quick to find out that the MP5 sub-machine gun and the FFAR 1 assault rifle were the best weapons in the game.
Although fans were excited for a return to Black Ops, a delay could have easily made the game one of the very best out of the box with a diverse range of maps, and a perfect weapon balance. Players wouldn’t have minded playing Modern Warfare for a few extra weeks. In order to ease the pain of a delay, developer Infinity Ward could have released some fresh content while Treyarch put the finishing touches on Black Ops Cold War.
Widespread Backlash
Click to enlargeThe Call of Duty franchise and its community is arguably one of the most passionate in gaming and esports. The prospect of a delay could’ve sent players and fans into overdrive, causing a wave of unprecedented backlash onto Treyarch and franchise publisher Activision.
A delay would also impact the multi-billion-dollar publisher alongside the fans. Activision is synonymous for taking every possible opportunity to make money, and a delay to the latest release in arguably its most popular franchise would not have been best for business, especially in the run-up to the festive season. With Activision likely pushing to keep the release of the game on track amid a global pandemic and issues early in the development of the game, the pressure was high on Treyarch to deliver the goods once again.
The impending release of the next generation of gaming consoles would have also played a pivotal role in preventing any form of delay. Players that managed to get their hands on a PlayStation 5 or an Xbox Series X|S would be intent on experiencing Black Ops Cold War in all its glory, and with a distinct lack of blockbuster titles on sale at the time of the consoles releasing, Black Ops Cold War would have an edge over its rivals as the only first-person shooter available on next-gen consoles.
The thought of playing even more Modern Warfare isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. While the game catered for the casual audience, hardcore fans were left out to dry as their quest for a classic Call of Duty experience continued. If a small delay to Black Ops Cold War enabled the developer to make it one of the best entries into the franchise, then surely an extension to Season Six wouldn’t have been such a bad idea?
With the release of Season One for Black Ops Cold War just around the corner, many are seeing December 16th as the unofficial release date for the game. With a wealth of content including the return of iconic multiplayer map Raid, the new season is set to be the biggest content drop ever seen in the franchise. If Activision had pushed back the release date to mid-December, could Black Ops Cold War have been considered the very best Call of Duty title? We will never know.
Images via Activision
