Call of Duty Black Ops 6 possibly coming to PS4 is good for players, but bad for the franchise's future

Modified May 27, 2024 09:49 GMT

This article looks at how a last-gen release could be bad for Call of Duty Black Ops 6 (Image via Activision)

If Reddit user u/Oufp4 is to be believed, the newest Call of Duty title, Call of Duty Black Ops 6, will be coming to the PS4. u/Oufp4 has posted an image on Reddit that shows GameStop having listings for the new Call of Duty game on the PS4. What's interesting is the fact that both the last-gen version and the current-gen version for the PS5 are priced at $70.

That being said, let's look at how Call of Duty Black Ops 6's release for the PS4 will be good for gamers, but bad for the franchise.

Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinion.

How is Call of Duty Black Ops 6's possible arrival on PS4 good for players and bad for the franchise?

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The latest COD game being made available on last-gen consoles would be good for players for obvious reasons. First off, not everyone has upgraded to the newer consoles. It is estimated that around 50% of active PSN users are still on the PS4. Those who have been unable to upgrade to the latest-gen consoles will be able to play Call of Duty Black Ops 6 without spending money on new hardware.

However, the game could suffer if it is made available for the PS4. For instance, when Black Ops 3 was released for the PS3, which had become a last-gen console at the time of the title's release back in 2015, it didn't deliver a highly enjoyable experience.

Due to the console's dated tech, the game had a ton of limitations. On the other hand, those who played Black Ops 3 on the PS4 could enjoy all of what it had to offer. In fact, the PS4 version could've been even better if the developers weren't trying to cater to the PS3 audience in 2015.

Is a last-gen release the right step in 2024? (Image via Activision)

Call of Duty has had a fairly poor run on the PS5. While their newer titles like COD Vanguard, COD Black Ops Cold War, and Modern Warfare II and III have been commercial successes, they have failed to win over the fans. Modern Warfare III tanked hard across the board, and its Steam ratings at the time of writing are overwhelmingly negative.

Currently, the Call of Duty franchise has also suffered from a loss of identity. Not everyone wants to load up on a multiplayer map and play next to Nicki Minaj and the Easter Bunny; the commercial skins heavily take away from the game's roots as a military shooter. Another reason for its terrible run on current-gen consoles is its reluctance to end support for last-gen.

If Call of Duty Black Ops 6 is developed only for the PS5, it would be made with better tech, improved visuals, and quite possibly, more features that push it to exceed the benchmark set by the last generation of consoles.

However, if the game is also available for the PS4, this would mean that the title won't offer a true 'next-gen experience.'

Black Ops 6 will reportedly feature an open-world campaign (Image via Activision)

It won't be a smooth ride for last-gen players either; while they'll still get to play Call of Duty Black Ops 6, the game will run much worse than it would on the PS5. It could also have limited features in comparison to the current generation of consoles. Thus, something needs to change if the franchise wants to get back on top.

If Activision doesn't start to develop COD games exclusively for the current-gen consoles, there could potentially be many limitations. So, while fans will get to enjoy newer titles on old consoles, it could also lead to a decline in the player base because current-gen owners may feel like they aren't truly getting their money's worth.

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Edited by Dinesh Renthlei