Like previous Call Of Duty: Black Ops games, 6 is an action spy thriller set against a backdrop of mystery and paranoia. This time out though, the single-player narrative takes place in the early ‘90s – an unexplored period for the mega-selling series. “It’s a whole new playground for us,” Stephanie Snowden, senior director of Call Of Duty Studios’ communications tells NME.
The original Black Ops game was released in 2010 and introduced players to a motley crew of CIA agents, out to stop Soviet sleeper soldiers from deploying chemical weapons across the United States at the height of the Cold War. Over the course of four more titles, writers unfurled a winding narrative that spanned 100 years of betrayal, bloodshed and sacrifice. With the tagline “the truth lies”, Black Ops 6 promises more of the same.
We begin with new team leader Troy Marshall leading an operation in Kuwait towards the end of the first Gulf War. He’s approached by swaggering former CIA operative Russell Adler (last seen in 2020’s Cold War) who has a message for Black Ops favourite Frank Woods. This titbit kickstarts a chain of events around The Pantheon, a shady organisation which has infiltrated the US government, and causes our team to go rogue.
“The story is inspired by historical moments but what makes it a Black Ops game is us asking the question ‘what if?’,” says Snowden. “We want players to ask questions as well. Who’s really on their side and what would they do if they were in a similar situation. They’re forced to question the world around them… The DNA of Black Ops puts you in these morally grey areas and encourages you to make uncomfortable choices.”
What makes Black Ops 6 different to the other entries in the series though is the variety of missions players can get involved with, says lead narrative producer Natalie Pohorski. Levels include a combat mission behind enemy lines in snowy Russia, the most daring casino heist you’ll ever attempt and a sneak-attack on Washington D.C.’s political community. “There’s a lot of choice in each of those as well,” she explains. “There’s a lot of opportunity for strategy.”
“Black Ops games have such a strong identity, so it’s important to find the right balance of innovation,” says Snowden. Another addition Black Ops 6 offers is Omnimovement, a new control system that means players can sprint, dive and shoot in every possible direction for the first time.
The new tech has already been called “a gamechanger” by those that have played multiplayer in early access tests. It also allowed the team more freedom with the story they wanted to tell in single player, opening up the types of missions you’ll be faced with and allowing players a greater range of moves to pull off.
All of this adds up to a more epic game – and when paired with the ‘90s setting, gives Black Ops 6 the flavour of an action blockbuster. Fans are already comparing it to the likes of Speed, Goldeneye, Mission: Impossible, Bad Boys, Die Hard With A Vengeance and Enemy Of The State.
“I don’t know what it is about that 90s action hero feeling, but it’s absolutely something we were inspired by,” Snowden says. “We wanted the game to be grounded in that particular time and place, but it’s still Call Of Duty. It needs to feel big and it needs to have really kick ass moments.”
Who do you need to know in Black Ops 6?
The jaded hero
Frank Woods (Damon Allen)
Who: CIA operative Woods has been a reoccurring character across the Black Ops series. “He’s been through hell” says Allen. “At the end of the Cold War, he accidentally shot his best friend and he got kneecapped which put him in a wheelchair. At the start of this game, he’s still adjusting to his new life and he really needs a win.” Despite no longer being on the front line, he’s still driven by a desire to “fight the good fight and hurt the bad guys.”
What makes them exciting to play: “He’s a very tough, street-smart character who often gets to be the comedic relief, with some sarcastic one liners and a lot of colourful language. That’s always a lot of fun.”
What’s on their headphones?: “Nirvana would have just released ‘Nevermind’, so he’d be listening to that and some classic rock. I actually have a Woods playlist on my Spotify that I listen to before I perform. It’s full of Metallica, Motörhead, Public Enemy and Rage Against The Machine, which gets me fired the fuck up. Aggressive music is my inspiration for the character.”
The chaotic badass
Russell Adler (Bruce Thomas)
Who: A terrifying, unpredictable figure, Adler was first introduced in Cold War as someone who would do anything to get the job done. At the start of Black Ops 6, he’s missing with a CIA-issued kill or capture order against his name, but soon returns to the action. “At the start, he’s driven by survival but he also cares about Woods,” says Thomas. “Adler really doesn’t care a whole lot for most people, especially newcomer Troy Marshall, but he cares about protecting his own unit. Everyone else is expendable.”
What makes them exciting to play: “His badassery. He’s not afraid of anything, and I’m quite the opposite. Also, the real-life camaraderie between Allen and I adds a nice, colourful humanity to it.”
What’s on their headphones?: “Adler’s a ‘60s guy. His formative years were in Vietnam, so his tastes would be stuck in that era, with Creedence Clearwater Revival and Steppenwolf.”
The moral heart of the group
Troy Marshall (Y’lan Noel)
Who: When we’re introduced to Black Ops 6’s new team leader Marshall, he already has a distrust of the government. “His father went to fight in Vietnam and came back a broken man, who didn’t have much to live for,” says Noel. “Even though Marshall wants to protect and serve, he’s always had a bittersweet relationship with that ambition. The fact he ends up going rogue and working against the powers-that-be is very in character for him.”
What makes them exciting to play: “He has such much integrity and an ingrained sense of truth. He’s a natural born leader, he’s always willing to speak up on what he believes in and he can stick to his own moral compass, even in the direst of circumstances.”
What’s on their headphones?: “From that era, Public Enemy – but if we’re going wider, LL Cool J and 2Pac’s ‘Me Against The World’ as well. Basically anything that speaks to truth and power are in the DNA of Marshall.
The unpredictable newcomer
Sevati ‘Sev’ Dumas (Karen David)
Who: Raised by a criminal gang to kill from a young age, Sev is a formidable character. Prior to Black Ops 6, she tried to get out of the assignation game after meeting the love of her life but was manipulated into orchestrating their death instead. “There’s a lot of trauma, pain and betrayal there,” says David. “She’s driven by revenge and redemption,” which brings her into the world of Black Ops 6. “As the story goes on, she really starts believing in their mission – which tells me Sev has a heart”.
What makes them exciting to play: “She’s far cooler than I could ever hope to be and she’s got so much resilience, which I admire. There are also moments of vulnerability and she’s a really complex character. As an actor, I live for that nuance.”
What’s on their headphones?: “Whenever I’m working on a new character, the first thing I do is make a playlist. For Sev, hers included U2’s ‘Mysterious Ways’, Jesus Jones’ ‘Right Here, Right Now’, O.P.P.’s ‘Naughty By Nature’ and The Prodigy’s ‘Breathe’ and ‘Firestarter’.
‘Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6’ is out October 25 for PlayStation, PC and Xbox, as well as on Xbox Game Pass