Black Ops 6 feels like a corporate cash grab, not a Treyarch passion project

It has been a while since Black Ops 6 launched, and I think Treyarch missed the mark with this one. Unlike the previous Black Ops games, the latest title does not feel like a typical Treyarch passion project where the developers think outside the box to deliver fans unique experiences. The latest release feels like a product that was developed just to make money.

I understand that my take on the current state of the game might upset a few. In this brief article, I will discuss why I think Black Ops 6 feels like a cash grab and lacks the soul that's typical of Treyarch's releases.

Note: Aspects of this article are subjective and reflect the writer's opinions.

Black Ops 6 wasn't made for fans, its purpose was to make money

Before the critique, I would like to make it clear that it is not a bad game. It's a fairly decent FPS title. However, Treyarch had four years to build it, and even today, before the release of Season 4, the game is not polished. Forget the cheaters; the bugs and glitches themselves make it a painful experience.

How is it that a game that was being developed for four years still lacks polish? Basic features like Blueprint swap weren't available at launch.

For instance, Sledgehammer Games had only a year to develop Modern Warfare 3. Although the Campaign wasn't great and the content at launch was lacking, the developers made sure that they would make up for it by releasing enough content after to keep the players engaged.

Also read: Call of Duty is giving away a free Weapon Blueprint to Black Ops 6 and Warzone players, here's how to claim

They succeeded, and many fans consider it one of the best Multiplayer experiences among the recent Call of Duty releases. A game that was shunned by many and deemed DLC was later hailed as one of the best titles. How were they able to do that? It's simple — by listening to the community.

Modern Warfare 3 had weekly challenges, events with free rewards like camo, a fantastic map pool, weapons, and much more, most of which joined the game after a month of its release.

The features Treyarch's latest title had at launch, such as Omnimovement, supine prone, and more, are decent, but they aren't game-changing. As for the content that had been served post-launch, it is lacking in several ways. All I see is the developers attempting to capitalize on nostalgia. That's it.

Most of the "new" stuff are essentially remasters or just variants of something that was already there. Nothing truly new in the shooter felt like high-effort content. There's also the issue of using AI to generate content, but we won't dive deep into it here.

So, how does Black Ops 6 keep fans engaged after a new season has dropped? Through in-game events. Are they any good? Well, no, obviously, and this actually made it clear to me how Black Ops 6 was meant to be just another cash grab that is taking advantage of nostalgia and the Black Ops franchise.

In Black Ops 6, most events have two formats. You either collect items or earn XP, and based on that, rewards are given. Often, these are quite low-quality and low-effort items, just like the events. There's barely any innovation.

If that wasn't all, you are now supposed to pay extra to access the Premium Tier in certain events, which is where the good rewards are locked. Moreover, they did all the Battle Pass users dirty. Earlier, if you bought the Battle Pass and finished it, you would not only get your COD Points but also earn a few additional CP. That isn't the case with Black Ops 6.

For a game that already costs $70 for the base game and $100 for the Vault Edition, monetizing it this aggressively feels wrong and, in my opinion, is against the interest of their fans and is not at all pro-consumer.

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It feels like the developers are locking "fun" behind a paywall at the end of the day.

In the initial days of the game, fans asked the developers why is carry forward not present in Black Ops 6. To this, the developers responded that the content in BO6 is true to the 90s, and hence to keep the experience authentic, they weren't allowing "carry forward."

Well, a simple glance at the in-game store right now will tell you why that was just a blatant lie.

So, why does Black Ops 6 feel like a cash grab? Low-effort content, lack of polish, lies, and a huge emphasis on monetization to the point where all the decent items are locked behind a paywall.

It doesn’t feel like a Treyarch game at all and instead feels like a business plan. It lacks heart, innovation, and respect for its players. Until the studio starts listening and taking real creative risks again, this might just be the lowest point I have seen a Call of Duty game reach in recent years.

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About the author

Rishabh is a gaming journalist at Sportskeeda who mainly covers Call of Duty and Valorant content. After completing his post-graduation in Finance, he went off the beaten track and decided to build a career in video game journalism. The opportunity to interview Valorant Pacific franchised teams back during VCT 2023: Pacific was a career highlight for Rishabh.

Rishabh prioritizes diving into the game himself and figuring out the specifics to ensure authenticity of content. He also tracks the social media accounts and blogs of developers and publishers to learn about official announcements and press releases, and cross-checks all facts even if they are derived from reputed sources.

Rishabh embarked on his video game journey in 2002, playing Contra and Mario, and his first AAA title was Max Payne 1. Currently, first-person shooter games engage him the most.

Rishabh regards streamer and esports athlete Michael "Shroud" Grzesiek as an inspirational figure since he rose from a humble background to become one of the biggest CS players and streamers in the world through sheer hard work and dedication.

Rishabh likes to keep himself updated on the latest trends in technology and listens to progressive rock music in his spare time.

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Edited by Ripunjay Gaba