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

With the launch of Season 3 this week, *Call of Duty: Black Ops 6* and *Warzone* are set to undergo significant changes, particularly affecting the PC community's matchmaking queue times. Activision has released the Season 3 patch notes, confirming a major overhaul to regular Multiplayer by separating the settings for Multiplayer Ranked Play and *Call of Duty: Warzone* Ranked Play, while introducing a new Multiplayer-only setting for Quickplay, Featured, and Party Games matches.

Starting April 4, players will have three distinct settings for matchmaking in these modes, each with specific crossplay options:

• 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 cautioned that selecting "On (Consoles Only)" could lead to longer matchmaking queue times, and choosing "Off" will definitely result in increased wait times.

The introduction of console-only crossplay in regular Multiplayer has raised concerns among the *Call of Duty* PC community. They worry that console players opting out of crossplay with PC players could lead to longer queue times for them. This concern stems from the prevalent issue of cheating in *Call of Duty*, which is more common on PC. Activision has acknowledged this, noting that unfair deaths attributed to console players are more likely due to 'intel advantage' rather than cheats. As a result, many console players disable crossplay to avoid potential encounters with PC cheaters.

The PC community's reaction has been vocal, with some players expressing frustration over the change. 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, X / Twitter user @GKeepnclassy 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." Another user, @CBBMack, added, "My lobbies barely fill already to begin 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 improving its anti-cheat measures rather than isolating PC players. Redditor MailConsistent1344 suggested, "Maybe they should fix their anti-cheat instead of isolating PC players."

Activision has indeed invested heavily in combating cheating, with recent successes in shutting down prominent cheat providers like Phantom Overlay and four others ahead of the anticipated return of Verdansk to *Warzone*. Despite these efforts, cheating remains an ongoing challenge. Activision has promised enhanced anti-cheat technology with Season 3, which could impact PC players' experience, especially with the expected surge in players due to Verdansk's return.

However, it's worth noting that a significant portion of the *Call of Duty* console audience, primarily casual players, may not even be aware of these new settings. As pointed out by *Call of Duty* YouTuber TheXclusiveAce, most players simply jump into unranked Multiplayer for a quick session and may not delve into patch notes or settings. This means the majority of console players might continue playing with crossplay enabled by default, as they have always done.

TheXclusiveAce addressed the PC community's 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 remains to be seen how these changes will affect the game's community and whether they will help in the ongoing battle against cheating.