For some years now, Call of Duty players have been very split on some of the wacky cosmetics that are in the game, but one Treyarch developer has explained to Dexerto why we’re not likely to see them slow down any time soon.
Over the years, cosmetics and in particular Operator outfits have become ever more outlandish, with players able to run around as animals like rats and cats, or celebrities such as Nicki Minaj and Lionel Messi.
Some argue that this detracts from the gameplay by not being in line with the theme of the game, while others – evidenced by how many of these bundles sell – absolutely love the enhanced level of customization.
“Fun always comes first”
In a conversation with Dexerto, Miles Leslie, the Associate Creative Director at Treyarch, spoke a bit about these cosmetics and the balance of “fun” vs realism.
“Fun always comes first for us,” Leslie explained. “Of course, we want to stay grounded in the DNA that makes a Black Ops game unique when it comes to core gameplay, but we also like to break the rules if it’s going to maximize fun for players.
“When it comes to cosmetics, the Black Ops series naturally lends itself to some pretty outlandish themes when you consider we’re the birthplace of Call of Duty Zombies and all of the crazy mindf**kery that comes with the storytelling in our games, so we like to have fun there too. The team has already delivered some of my all-time favorite Operator Skins, and we’re only in the first season.”
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However, that mindset is slightly different when it comes to building out the Campaign, with a focus on keeping the story as detailed and accurate as possible.
“The Campaign has a tightly defined cast of characters with an era-specific look to them that fits the story that we and our friends at Raven Software are telling,” he explained. “The cool thing is, because the story then continues directly from the Campaign into our Multiplayer experience throughout our post-launch seasons, we now get to develop new looks and lore for those characters while simultaneously building out the cast for both the Rogue Black Ops and Crimson One factions.
“This is something we take very seriously at the studio, and those who remember the continuing story with Stitch and Perseus throughout Black Ops Cold War’s seasons will know what I’m talking about. That doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun with cosmetics along the way!”
So, for the players hoping to see the end of these crazy cosmetics, you shouldn’t hold your breath: Treyarch clearly wants to make sure their games are as fun as possible, and wacky outfits are a huge outlet for that creativity and enjoyment.
We also spoke with Miles about more classic map remasters coming to Black Ops 6 as well as BO6 being our 2024 Game of the Year.
