Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has pulled off a stir with a significant co-op component known as Endgame that permits 32 players at a time and will be available on November 14. Rematchable, this mode will be open right after the core campaign and will be considered by the developers as the “true co-op fight” for those groups wanting to make full use of the game by playing unconventionally.
The announcement by PlayStation has produced a mixed response in the gaming community, with some eager for the large-scale chaos, while others doubting that this is merely another extraction shooter that will quickly go unnoticed. An upbeat player named Austin, Way, conveyed the common thought when he said: “32-player Endgame mode stretches #BlackOps7 beyond the main tale, can’t wait to team up one more time.” The vibe is – complete squad energy ready to explode come November.
On the other hand, not everyone is persuaded. Some of the comments made were… pretty negative. User wimpdragon unwrapped what many might be sensing: “So an extraction mode? Cmon man. Why do they think it is worthy of investing into something that is not going to be played? Just finish the campaign, and then focus on zombies and multiplayer. Unsupported modes that no one touches anymore are not needed.” Ouch, that was a harsh but valid point – we have seen modes in past COD titles that barely lasted one season before being replaced by the next hot thing.
Endgame’s idea seems to take the Ground War concept and expand it towards co-op play. Zachary Davidson wondered: “So they made the end game of the campaign one big Ground War?” It is not a totally off comparison – envision the extent of Ground War but working together against AI or reaching goals rather than simple PVP. It could be dirty, it could be great. Who can say?
What is captivating is that this advent of a massive co-op mode is not limited to COD’s traditional multiplayer. Warzone, DMZ, and now Endgame which is the cycle. Vujevic put it rightly when he stated: “Having a replayable 32-player co-op mode like Endgame gives long-term value to the campaign and encourages squad strategy.” That is the crux – giving players the reasons to keep playing after the completion of the main story. The campaigns these days can be finished in a couple of days, but this kind of mode could keep players busy for months.
Yet the timing does raise eyebrows – November 14 is the peak of the holiday gaming season. Is it a good or a bad decision? With Battlefield 6 probably launching around the same time (as Mike brutally pointed out: “We are playing Battlefield 6”), it will be a war for the gamers’ interest. Wolfys Bar even humorously remarked that “Battlefield players would be ranting” due to the enormity of this mode.
Storage problems were also discussed, for why not? Robt W Beüchat had the same concern as everyone else: “How much gb does it take? No thks” Given the infamous disk space that Modern Warfare demands, this is definitely a concern. At this pace, Black Ops 7 might eventually require the installation of a new SSD specifically for itself.
The mixed responses reflect that the COD community is becoming more and more split. Some players like MaDZaAc see Endgame as the only good thing about Black Ops 7 along with zombies, while others like TraderXenomorph are dubbing the campaign “garbage lol” even before trying it. This is the situation in today’s gaming communities – a wonderful mixture of excitement and doubt.
What brings Endgame to the forefront and gives it an edge over other game modes is no other than its replayability aspect. KEN DOE referred to it as chaos and “replayable glory” which shows that it won’t be just a one-time experience. If the developers will be able to control the progression and keep the game exciting with constant updates, this could turn out to be COD’s solution to Destiny’s endgame activities. But I have to admit that it is a big if – we have previously been let down by the promise of “replayable” content that went stale after a few runs.
Another factor that draws attention to itself is the social aspect. The simple statement of Pixels, “I am ready for a fight! Who is with me?” captures the squad-up mentality that makes large co-op modes so appealing when they succeed. A mix of thirty-two players working together, talking, and making a mess could either be very chaotic or total chaos. Most likely, both will happen at the same time, given the nature of COD communities.
As November approaches, we will know if Endgame can pay off on its promise or if it will be just another of the sidelined modes in COD’s never-ending list of features. The opportunity to create something phenomenal is there, but Xbox players will also be watching closely.
