This year's Call of Duty has been officially confirmed as Black Ops 6, a "dark new chapter" in the franchise
The rumors were true
Update: Activision has officially confirmed that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is the title of this year's entry in the series, confirming reports of the name that surfaced over the past 24 hours.
In a post on Twitter, Activision said that "a dark new chapter of the Black Ops franchise begins," before referring to that chapter as "Call of Duty: Black Ops 6." The accompanying image is the same three-headed dog that will be familiar to anyone keeping up with the game's teasers (or who's played Hades any time recently).
This also means that the mysterious spot that Microsoft was holding in the Summer Game Fest schedule 2024 has been confirmed as a Black Ops 6 showcase, so expect a deep dive on this new entry pretty soon.
A dark new chapter of the Black Ops franchise begins. Call of Duty: #BlackOps6 pic.twitter.com/db3lPR0ibIMay 23, 2024
Original story: Activision has seemingly confirmed that 2024's Call of Duty will be Black Ops 6.
Today, May 23, the Reddit user below noticed their copy of USA Today had a brand new Call of Duty advert spread across several pages. The advert very helpfully displays the logo 'Call of Duty: Black Ops 6,' so there's very little left to the imagination as to what the next entry in Activision's franchise will be called.
[COD] These came in the newspapers at my work. from r/CallOfDuty
On the second photo from the user, another Black Ops 6-related advert has the caption "The Truth Lies" - followed by a defaced Mount Rushmore. Just in case you had any doubt as to whether Treyarch's long-running Black Ops series would once again be delving into conspiracy theories, put those doubts to rest.
"The Truth Lies" is also the teaser website's address. If you head over to TheTruthLies.com, you'll find a real-life video of apparent activists scaling Mount Rushmore, and then defacing the heads of the Presidents there, just like you can see in the USA Today advert just above.
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Technically, it's worth pointing out that nothing surrounding the Black Ops 6 advertisements has confirmed it as 2024's Call of Duty. Given that Activision hasn't missed an annual Call of Duty launch in well over a decade at this point, though, it's a pretty safe bet to say it probably will be released in the last few months of this year.
The title confirmation also quietly confirms that 2020's Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War effectively acted as 'Black Ops 5' for the ongoing series. The game still marks the only Black Ops entry in the Call of Duty franchise not to go with a numbered entry, but now it's very clear that Activision and Treyarch consider the 2020 game as the fifth instalment in the ongoing series.
Check out our new games 2024 guide for a look over all the other games set to launch later this year.
Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.
- Ali JonesNews Editor