We reached out to several professional Call of Duty players after Black Ops 6 launched to get their initial reactions and thoughts on its potential as a competitive game. Many players are enjoying aspects like the gunplay and omnimovement, but nearly all of them identified one main issue holding it back.
Every year, the competitive community shifts to the newest COD title, whether they enjoyed or disliked the last one. While this system can sometimes limit COD esports. Especially with fan-favorites like Black Ops 2 and 3—there are years when the yearly switch is considered a positive.
In the previous release, Modern Warfare 3 brought back classic maps and weapons, giving players a sense of nostalgia, while Black Ops 6 is focusing on fresh ways to engage players.
Despite these challenges, most pro players agree that the gameplay itself is strong. “Gameplay and gunplay are pretty good,” noted Charlie ‘Hicksy’ Hicks, and Dan ‘Ghosty’ Rothe echoed this, praising the movement, gunplay, and flow.
map issue
Yet, the biggest issue is with the maps. Ghosty commented, “Outside of the maps, everything feels great,” adding that he’s unsure if the current map pool is suited for competitive play. One anonymous player went as far as calling it “the worst map pool we’ve ever had at launch.” Another player suggested that bringing back remastered maps from older COD titles could improve the experience, saying, “It’s all going to come down to the map pool… remastered maps would save us.”
Remastered maps have become common in recent COD games, and there are iconic Black Ops maps that could enhance BO6 if remade. Many players expressed concern about the competitive map pool. With OpTic’s world championship duo, Brandon ‘Dashy’ Otell and Anthony ‘Shotzzy’ Cuevas-Castro, criticizing the maps and calling for remasters, particularly from Black Ops 3 and 4.
However, there’s no confirmation if or when remastered maps will be added. Season 1 launches on November 14, featuring three new maps, none of which are remasters.
Season 01 takes Black Ops to the criminal underground with these new maps:
- Hideout – 6v6
- Extraction – 6v6
- Heirloom – 6v6 & 2v2
At the time of writing, there’s been no official announcement on the start date for the CDL 2025 season, though sources suggest an early December launch, with an announcement on November 12.
While players are enthusiastic about BO6’s core gameplay, they remain concerned about the map selection as the competitive season approaches.