"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 change that has sparked concerns among the PC gaming community, particularly regarding matchmaking queue times.

Activision has released the Season 3 patch notes, confirming a major update to regular Multiplayer. The update separates settings for Multiplayer Ranked Play and Call of Duty: Warzone Ranked Play, and introduces a new Multiplayer-only setting for Quickplay, Featured, and Party Games matches.

Starting April 4, when Season 3 goes live, players will have the following crossplay options for each of the three settings (Multiplayer Ranked Play, Call of Duty: Warzone Ranked Play, and Multiplayer Unranked):

• 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 warned that selecting On (Consoles Only) might negatively impact matchmaking queue times, while selecting Off will definitely have a negative effect on queue times.

The introduction of console-only crossplay in regular Multiplayer is what's causing worry among the Call of Duty PC community. They fear that console players opting out of matchmaking with PC players could lead to longer queue times. This concern stems from the game's history with cheating, which is more prevalent on PC. Activision has acknowledged this issue, noting that unfair deaths in matches are more likely due to 'intel advantage' rather than outright cheating on consoles.

PC players have expressed their frustrations. For instance, Redditor exjr_ stated, "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 commented, "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."

Another user, @CBBMack, added, "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 have suggested that Activision should focus on improving its anti-cheat measures rather than isolating PC players. Redditor MailConsistent1344 remarked, "Maybe they should fix their anti-cheat instead of isolating PC players."

Activision has been actively combating cheating in Call of Duty, spending millions and achieving several high-profile successes. Recently, Phantom Overlay, a prominent cheat provider, announced its shutdown, and four other cheat providers were closed down ahead of the much-anticipated return of Verdansk to Warzone. Despite these efforts, the battle against cheating remains challenging. Activision has promised enhanced anti-cheat technology with the launch of Season 3, which could potentially ease the concerns of PC players, especially with the expected influx of players due to Verdansk's return.

However, many have noted that the majority of console players, who form the bulk of Call of Duty's audience, may 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. Therefore, they might continue playing with crossplay enabled by default, unaware of the console-only option or the reasons behind it.

Call of Duty YouTuber TheXclusiveAce addressed PC player 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 interesting to observe whether these changes affect the gameplay experience, especially as Activision continues its fight against cheating.