With the launch of Season 3 this week, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Warzone are set to undergo a significant change that has raised concerns within the PC community about potential impacts on their matchmaking queue times.
Activision released the Season 3 patch notes, confirming a major update to regular Multiplayer. The update separates the settings for Multiplayer Ranked Play and Call of Duty: Warzone Ranked Play, introducing a new Multiplayer-only setting for Quickplay, Featured, and Party Games matches.
Starting April 4, when Season 3 goes live, each of these three settings (Multiplayer Ranked Play, Call of Duty: Warzone Ranked Play, and Multiplayer Unranked) will offer the following crossplay options:
- On: Enables matchmaking with all gaming platforms when playing in the selected playlists.
- On (Consoles Only): Enables matchmaking only with other consoles when playing in selected playlists.
- Off: Restricts matchmaking to your current gaming platform only in selected playlists.
Activision has cautioned that choosing "On (Consoles Only)" might negatively affect matchmaking queue times, while selecting "Off" will definitely impact queue times.
The introduction of console-only crossplay in regular Multiplayer has sparked worry among the Call of Duty PC community. They fear that console players opting out of matchmaking with PC players could result in longer wait times for them. This concern stems from the game's reputation for cheating, which is more prevalent on PC. Activision has acknowledged this issue, noting that unfair deaths attributed to console players are more likely due to 'intel advantage' than actual cheating. As a result, some console players disable crossplay entirely to avoid potential cheaters.
PC players have expressed their frustration over this change, with some suggesting that Activision should focus on improving its anti-cheat measures rather than isolating PC players. Comments from players like redditor exjr_ and X / Twitter user @GKeepnclassy reflect the sentiment that this change penalizes non-cheating PC players and could drive them to switch to console gaming.
Activision has invested heavily in combating cheating in Call of Duty, with recent successes in shutting down prominent cheat providers. With Season 3, the company has promised enhanced anti-cheat technology, which could potentially alleviate some of the PC community's concerns, especially with the return of Verdansk to Warzone expected to bring a surge of players.
However, many within the community have noted that the majority of console players, who form a large and casual audience, might not even be aware of these new settings. Most players simply jump into unranked Multiplayer for casual fun without delving into patch notes or settings. As such, the default crossplay settings are likely to remain unchanged for many, potentially mitigating the impact on PC matchmaking.
Call of Duty YouTuber TheXclusiveAce addressed the PC community's concerns, pointing out that the majority of players will likely continue to play with the default settings, ensuring a large player pool for PC players. He emphasized that the new console-only option is a choice for those willing to accept potentially longer queue times for a perceived fairer gameplay experience.
As Season 3 approaches for Black Ops 6 and Warzone, it remains to be seen whether these changes will significantly affect matchmaking and how Activision's ongoing efforts against cheating will evolve.
