Summary
A huge amount of hype is understandably surging through the gaming industry following the Direct presentation forCall of Duty: Black Ops 6on June 9, with the event touching on the campaign, multiplayer, and Zombies offerings for the upcoming title. While the game marks a new era for the FPS franchise under its ownership by Microsoft,Black Ops 6is already shaping up to be a title that pays a lot of respect to the history of the series.
Things like the return of the classic Prestige system and iconic maps like Nuketown inCall of Duty: Black Ops 6are drawing a lot of attention, but it is important that one key multiplayer announcement does not fly under the radar. Despite the power that Microsoft now holds over theCoDfranchise, the Direct presentation surprisingly confirmed that the Beta forBlack Ops 6will take place at the same time across all platforms. When considering the battles that Microsoft and Sony have had over shrewd collaborations withCall of Dutyover the years, the news aroundBlack Ops 6’s Beta seems like an olive branch that puts Microsoft in great stead going forward.
Microsoft Has Put its Money Where its Mouth is With the Black Ops 6 Beta
Long-term fans of theCall of Dutyfranchise will remember when Microsoft had a major partnership deal with the franchise. Between 2010 and 2015, Microsoft signed a deal with Activision to releaseCall of Dutytitles and their highly demanded post-launch map packson Xbox consoles before PlayStation, being a huge draw at a time whenCall of Duty’s console playership was massive.
When this deal expired in 2015, the sales success of PlayStation at the time sawSony sign a new deal withCall of Dutyover Microsoft. Like the previous deal with Microsoft, Sony’s partnership with Activision sawCall of Dutytitles and DLCs come to PlayStation first, but Sony also had the benefit of capitalizing on the new market of console Betas forCoDreleases.Black Ops 3’s Beta was released on PlayStation 4 consoles before any other platform, cementing a new era that would last all the way up until 2023.
Sony’s collaboration withCall of Dutyonly ended thanks toMicrosoft’s high-profile acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which began in early 2022 but was finalized in October 2023. It was obvious that Microsoft’s ownership ofCall of Duty’s publisher would bring about the end of Activision’s Sony ties, but many fans wondered if Microsoft would strong-arm its biggest competitor out ofCall of Dutycompletely.
All Platforms Are On a Leveled Playing Field For Black Ops 6’s Beta
During the intense legal battle that Microsoft fought to finalize its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the company stressed its commitment to keep gaming “for everyone,” with it quickly being announced thatCall of Dutywould remain on PlayStation consoles. Moving beyond this, it seemed likely that Microsoft would leverage its ownership of Activision to release futureCoDprojects on Xbox before other platforms, as was the case in 2010, but the Direct presentation assured fans thatBlack Ops 6’s Beta will be available at the same time for everyone.
Not only is this excellent PR forMicrosoft’s early tenure as the owner of Activision, but it shows excellent restraint in not firing back at Sony for taking itsCall of Dutypartnership away in 2015. Fans of all platforms will be happy to play the Beta and full release ofCall of Duty: Black Ops 6at the same time, and Microsoft can simultaneously build a lot of good faith after the scrutiny it has faced for its long list of studio acquisitions in recent years.
