The upcoming launch of Black Ops 6 brings good news for Call of Duty fans – smaller installs. Activision plans to overhaul the Call of Duty launcher to allow players to download Warzone separately from the annual premium games. However, before experiencing the benefits of smaller downloads, players will have to endure some larger initial updates. As part of this effort, the central UI of the launcher will undergo significant changes to improve accessibility. Players will be able to access top content on one clean page without the need to scroll.
Decoupling Download of Call of Duty: Warzone
Starting on August 21 with the Season 5 Reloaded update, Activision will give players more control over their downloads. Call of Duty: Warzone will be decoupled from other titles, ensuring that when you purchase an annual title, you only download the files for that specific game. This separation aims to streamline the download process and reduce the initial file size. Additionally, expanded texture streaming features will be introduced to cycle content less frequently used by players into a streaming cache, eliminating the need to download directly to the device’s storage.
Players will have the option to choose between two texture streaming settings – “optimized” and “minimal.” The optimized setting will offer higher-fidelity visuals but will consume more bandwidth, while the minimal setting will provide less robust visuals with lower bandwidth requirements. Although the process will begin with a sizable download, it is designed to enhance the overall gaming experience and prepare for the launch of Black Ops 6. The restructuring of files will not increase the install size and the new interface is expected to be fully rolled out by mid-October, resulting in a smaller footprint for Call of Duty.
For PS5 players, the update process will involve four separate downloads – at the console level, within the Call of Duty launcher, with Modern Warfare 3, and within Warzone. The developers note that the PS5 requires split downloads due to differences in file organization. In contrast, players on other platforms will receive all updates in a single download. While the multiple downloads may be an inconvenience for PS5 players, Activision is offering a free community pack as a gesture of appreciation for their patience.
Players who log in any time after the Season 5 Reloaded update will receive a free community pack containing 10 1-hour double player XP tokens, 10 1-hour double weapon XP tokens, and 10 battle pass token tier skips. While the community pack does not alleviate the inconvenience of the large downloads required for the updates, it serves as a thank you to players for their understanding and support. Overall, the changes implemented by Activision aim to streamline the gaming experience and pave the way for a smoother transition to Black Ops 6.
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