In case you'd somehow forgotten that Activision is now part of the Microsoft machine, here's a stark (although not entirely unsurprising) reminder: The Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 multiplayer beta is set to kick off in August, and for the first time in many years we're all jumping into it together.
It's become a genuine tradition over the years, going back at least as far as Black Ops 3 in 2015: Whatever Call of Duty game is in the rotation announces a multiplayer beta test of some sort of other, and the opening weekend is exclusive to the PlayStation, while the rest of us get to tag along the following weekend. It's never really bothered me—I'm not enough of a Call of Duty fan to get worked up over it—and pretty much everyone else just got used to it.
Even so, there's no overlooking the change in this year's Black Ops 6 beta. There will be two separate weekend sessions, but no division on platforms. Instead, it's a simpler proposition: Anyone who preorders the game on PC or console, and all Game Pass subscribers, gets access to the first beta weekend, running from 10 am PT/1 pm ET on August 30 to the same time on September 4. The second, notably shorter weekend—10 am PT/1 pm ET on September 6 to September 9—is open to everyone.
As for what's in the Black Ops 6 beta, we'll no doubt get full details in the Call of Duty: Next showcase on August 28, two days before the early access beta begins. For now, we've got this, courtesy of the Call of Duty blog:
Experience the game-changing Omnimovement and other gameplay innovations for yourself across a variety of brand-new maps built by Treyarch, as well as building your own loadouts, accessing a variety of weapons, equipment and Perks, and dropping in with your squad across a number of modes.
If you preordered the Vault Edition of Black Ops 6 you'll also have access to four operators from the Hunters vs. Hunted operator pack (Park, Adler, Brutus, or Klaus) in the beta, and five weapons from the Masterclass Collection.
There is one odd note in the beta dates blog post. An asterisk beside the open beta weekend dates leads to a message stating, "Requires active subscription to Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass PC or Game Pass Console. For Game Pass Console subscribers, Game Pass Core may also be required for MP Beta access." I'm pretty sure that's an oversight or typo—you can't get Game Pass on Sony consoles, so requiring a subscription to the service would effectively lock PlayStation owners out of the beta—but I've reached out to Activision to clarify, just to be sure.
Call of Duty was a major sticking point in Microsoft's efforts to acquire Activision Blizzard. Sony furiously opposed the buyout largely over concerns Microsoft would make the series an Xbox console exclusive (although it later came to light that it wasn't too worried about the possibility), leading Microsoft to sign 10-year deals with pretty much everyone to prove it wasn't angling for exclusivity. Eventually, presumably because the writing was on the wall following Microsoft's successful opposition to an FTC injunction blocking the buyout, Sony caved and signed a 10-year deal of its own.
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