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Leon Hurley

Everything announced at the Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 direct

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 key art.

The Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Reveal has dropped with the Direct giving all the info on the next installment of the series. From the campaign to the multiplayer, the return of round based zombies, and an all new omnimovement, here's all the new information from Summer Game Fest.

(Image credit: Activision)

So far we know two things: Black Ops 6 will be most likely taking on 1991 Gulf War and Adler is back. The initial teaser trailer gave a glimpse of the world leaders involved in the wars at the time - US President's W H Bush and Clinton, UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and President of Iraq, Saddam Hussein. 

We know at least some of the game will be set in the 1991 Gulf War thanks to some of the marketing images featuring the phrases '91' and 'Gulf'. The presence of both Presidents Bush and Clinton is interesting though as Clinton didn't become president until 1993, suggesting the game's campaign could span multiple year and conflicts. 

(Image credit: Activision)

'The Truth Lies' is the main catch phrase for Black Ops 6 with a website of the same name playing videos that confirm that 1991 date and feature the poster above. Hitting the 'record' button on the site also downloads a video showing Mount Rushmore being vandalised with the 'Truth Lies' message and the game's logo: 

(Image credit: Activision)

The Black Ops 6 teases started a couple of weeks ago with this creepy video. It uses clips of all the major powers involved in the Gulf War to relay the 'truth lies' message and to 'open your eyes'. It also features what looks like a TV show called 'Frank's Woods', clearly referencing the character from all the Black Ops games so far. On June 3 Woods also appeared in a wheelchair as part of a Warzone video telling players there was intel on a mole. 

(Image credit: Activision)
(Image credit: Activision)

The mole in question appears to be Adler, with posters appearing in Warzone calling him an enemy of the state for crimes against the US government, killing US personal and supporting foreign regimes. Call of Duty has also tweeted out the image above, confirming he's wanted for espionage, treason and falsifying documents.

(Image credit: Activision)

Given that Adler is the 'doesn't care how many people he kills to save lives' type patriot, it's highly probable he's not actually a bad guy. It's more likely he's just done some real, real bad stuff to save 'murica. Completing various Warzone challenges revolves around the 'hunt for the CIA mole' and reward you with a range of The Truth Lies and Black Ops 6 Calling Cards, as well as Sally, a gun that usually appears on the BLOPs covers. 

The Black Ops 6 release date appears to have leaked. The game will be coming to PS5, PS4, PC and Xbox Series X and One on October 25. 

(Image credit: Activision)

The PlayStation Store has an interesting bit of extra info with the line 'Forced to go rogue. Hunted from within. This is Black Ops 6,' That ties in with the idea of Adler being hunting for treason. There's also an image apparently showing Adler escaping police on a motorbike. Not bad considering the man is 66 at this point in the game's timeframe.

The PlayStation Store appears to be living up to the game's story by going rogue itself with a break down of the game

Forced to go rogue. Hunted from within. This is Call of Duty®: Black Ops 6.

Developed by Treyarch and Raven, Black Ops 6 is a spy action thriller set in the early 90s, a period of transition and upheaval in global politics, characterized by the end of the Cold War and the rise of the United States as a single superpower. With a mind-bending narrative, and unbound by the rules of engagement, this is signature Black Ops.

The Black Ops 6 Campaign provides dynamic moment-to-moment gameplay that includes a variety of play spaces with blockbuster set pieces and action-packed moments, high-stakes heists, and cloak-and-dagger spy activity.

In a best-in-class Multiplayer experience, players will test their skills across 16 new maps at launch, including 12 core 6v6 maps and 4 Strike maps that can be played 2v2 or 6v6.

Black Ops 6 also marks the epic return of Round-Based Zombies, the fan-favorite mode where players will take down hordes of the undead in two brand-new maps at launch.

The PlayStation Store details also mention "Early access to the Open Beta", as well as all the extras the Vault edition comes with: 

  • Cross Gen Bundle of Call of Duty®: Black Ops 6 - Includes PS4® and PS5® versions of the game
  • Hunters vs. Hunted Operator Pack
  • 4 Operator Skins: Adler, Park, Brutus and Klaus
  • Mastercraft Collection
  • 5 Mastercraft Weapons
  • BlackCell (1 Season)
  • Includes: Battle Pass, 20 Tier Skips, 1,100 CP and more
  • GobbleGum Pack for Zombies
  • 12 GobbleGums of high rarities

As well as the classic moody soldier shot for the pack art, the other key image for Call of Duty Black Ops 6 is the logo featuring what appears to a Cerberus style three headed dog. 

(Image credit: Activision)

Cerberus was a guardian of the underworld in classical Greek mythology, and is often used to represent a protector.  

(Image credit: Activision)

Steam has also gone live with some Black Ops 6 details and images. That includes this unnamed character above, as well as the 66-year-old Adler still on a motorbike. 

(Image credit: Activision)
(Image credit: Activision)

Most importantly, the leaked images have given us a first look at zombies, albeit the basic team shot above. 

We've also got the first shot below of multiplayer. What's interesting here is that sideways dive appears to confirm a rumor of a new 'omnidirectional movement system' that will let players slide and dive in any direction.

(Image credit: Activision)
(Image credit: Activision)

Another Call of Duty Black Ops 6 multiplayer image has appeared via Battlenet showing a new multiplayer map and an AGR killstreak in action. 

Clearly the leaks have spurred Microsoft into revealing things early, so here's the first gameplay trailer for the Call of Duty Black Ops 6 campaign.  

The additional info on the YouTube description has the following for Black Ops 6: 

  • All-new campaign set in the Gulf War era
  • 12 new 6v6 maps & 4 new strike maps at launch 
  • Return of Round-based Zombies
(Image credit: Activision)

The early Call of Duty Black Ops 6 reveal on the Xbox stream, post leak, also saw Phil Spencer confirm that October 25 release date on PS5, Xbox and PC. We also got a few teaser screens ahead of the official Black Ops 6 reveal:  

(Image credit: Activision)
(Image credit: Activision)
(Image credit: Activision)

Here's a cgi cutscene clip showing off the omnidirectional movement being added to Call of Duty Black Ops 6 multiplayer, showing the ability to dive and move around more freely.  

Kiss your storage goodbye with Black Ops 6 looking like it'll take up 309GB on your console or PC according to this overview screen. That's somewhere between 100GB+ to double the size of the current install. 

(Image credit: Activision Blizzard)

The omnidirectional movement suggests some changes coming to multiplayer. No word yet on how that will play with Warzone, or if will even be included. Treyarch's weapon balance has always had a little friction when it arrives so this new movement, and presumably gunplay, could have an interesting impact on the multiplayer. 

And we're go. Treyarch is here to explain all. 

The 'forcing you to go rogue' angle we hear about earlier is explained by bad guys infiltrating the government, explaining why Adler and the player is now seen as an enemy. 

The story is a 'high octane spy thriller', after Cold War but tied to the flashbacks of Black Ops 2. Frank Woods is the 'throughline of the story'. He's pulled from the field following his injury but has an all new team.

An Iraq mission where you're hunting down missile sites is promised to be one of the biggest campaign maps ever made for the series. There's also a casino heist and a mission in the Russian tundra. 

(Image credit: Activision)

The Cold War safe house is back. This time it's in an abandoned manor that used to be a KGB blacksite in the 1950s. The evidence board is back where you can view the campaign outline and view evidence collected. 

(Image credit: Activision)
(Image credit: Activision)

Movement has been 'redefined' for Black Ops 6. You can now move and sprint in any direction with a new system called Omnimove, giving you full 360 degree range of movement. You can now sprint and dive in any direction which 'changes how you play the game'.

(Image credit: Activision)

There are now also 'intelligent move' options you can activate and fine tune. It affects how you mantle and interact with the environment. You can adjust it however much you want to tune your experience, with the inspiration coming from things like racing games. 

(Image credit: Activision)

Hitzones have had an update and now feature nine hit zones instead of the previous four, letting the game have more precise control over where you hit and enemy, and the damage you inflict.

(Image credit: Activision)

There's a lot of new weapons for the franchise. The idea being that as a rogue operative you're grabbing what you can, where you can. All the weapons retain the 'feel of the era', in the early 90s. 

The Black Ops 6 HUD has 'the best designs in a clean, streamlined experience' and you can now customise it. The examples given being a streamer changing the layout to suit their set up, or putting all the crucial info in the center so you don't have to look away.

The Prestige system now offers 1000 additional levels to work through once you max out the basic levelling. 

There are 16 brand new Multiplayer maps arriving at launch for Black Ops 6, and the return of Theater mode. Each map has its own story, and take place after the campaign. 

ZOMBIES TIME. Round based zombies is back with two new maps at launch. It'll feature all the new Omnimovement systems which will be an interesting way to change up the play. 

Call of Duty Next on August 28th will have more detailed info on the multiplayer, and there's a beta in Fall. 

That's it for now it seems. There will be a Call of Duty Next on August 28th with more details and coverage of gameplay.

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