"New Console-Only Crossplay Option Penalizes Non-Cheating PC Players in Call of Duty"

With the launch of Season 3 this week, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Warzone are set to undergo a significant transformation that has sparked concerns within the PC gaming community, particularly regarding potential impacts on matchmaking queue times. Activision's Season 3 patch notes unveiled a crucial update to the regular Multiplayer mode, introducing a separation between Multiplayer Ranked Play, Call of Duty: Warzone Ranked Play, and adding a new setting for Multiplayer-only matches in Quickplay, Featured, and Party Games.

Each of these settings will feature the following crossplay options when Season 3 kicks off on April 4:

• On: Allows matchmaking across all gaming platforms within the selected playlists.
• On (Consoles Only): Limits matchmaking to other console players in the selected playlists.
• Off: Restricts matchmaking to players on the same platform as you within the selected playlists.

Activision has explicitly warned that selecting "On (Consoles Only)" could lead to longer matchmaking queue times, while choosing "Off" is likely to result in even more significant delays. It's the introduction of the console-only crossplay option in regular Multiplayer that has raised alarm bells for some PC players. They fear that console players opting out of crossplay with PC gamers could drastically increase their wait times for matches.

The concern among the PC community stems from the ongoing issue of cheating within Call of Duty, which is more prevalent on PC. Activision has acknowledged this, noting that unfair deaths attributed to console players are more likely due to 'intel advantage' than actual cheating. As a result, many console players disable crossplay to avoid encounters with potential PC cheaters, a decision that has now been made easier with the new settings.

The reaction from the PC community has been mixed, with some expressing frustration and worry over the potential impact on their gaming experience. For instance, redditor exjr_ commented, "As a PC player... hate this change but I get it. I hope it doesn’t affect queue times for the game in the long-run so I’m not forced to buy the game on PS5 to have a good experience." Similarly, @GKeepnclassy on X / Twitter stated, "This is awful for PC players because this just killed PC. Terrible idea because now PC players that ARE NOT cheating are being penalized. This is bullshit." Meanwhile, @CBBMack noted, "My lobbies barely fill already to being with on PC due to sbmm. This will without a doubt make it worse. Time to plug in the console I guess."

Some PC players argue that Activision should focus on enhancing its anti-cheat measures rather than segregating the player base. MailConsistent1344 on Reddit suggested, "Maybe they should fix their anti-cheat instead of isolating PC players." Despite Activision's significant investments in combating cheating, with notable successes such as the shutdown of Phantom Overlay and several other cheat providers, the battle against cheaters remains an ongoing challenge. The company has promised improved anti-cheat technology with the launch of Season 3, which may influence the situation as the return of Verdansk to Warzone is expected to draw a large influx of players.

However, it's worth noting that the majority of Call of Duty's casual console audience may remain unaware of these new settings. Most players simply dive into unranked Multiplayer for a quick session of fun without delving into patch notes or settings menus. As a result, many may continue playing with crossplay enabled by default, not realizing the option to disable it exists or why it might be beneficial.

Call of Duty YouTuber TheXclusiveAce addressed these concerns, stating, "I see a lot of pushback with this change from PC players concerned that they won't be able to find games in lesser played modes or that matchmaking will take too long. To be clear, PC players will still be matchmaking with the largest pool of the playerbase since that majority of players won't even notice this setting exists so they'll stick to the default or even if they are aware of it, many will choose to leave it on. If anything, it's the players that decide to turn console-only crossplay on that will be limiting their matchmaking pool but that's a choice that's now in their hands for the first time in Pubs and it's a tradeoff that many of us will be happy to make."

As Season 3 approaches for Black Ops 6 and Warzone, it will be fascinating to observe how these changes affect the gaming landscape, especially in the context of Activision's ongoing efforts to combat cheating.