In a move to address the growing concerns over the massive file sizes of its games, Activision has announced that players will soon be able to install different parts of Call of Duty titles separately. This initiative comes as the gaming community prepares for the upcoming release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 on October 25, 2024.
The Call of Duty franchise, known for its expansive content including modes like Multiplayer and Zombies, has seen its file sizes swell to staggering levels in recent years. This has been compounded by the annual releases of mainline titles and the addition of standalone games like Call of Duty: Warzone. The sheer size of these games has become a point of contention among players, especially after rumors circulated that Black Ops 6 would require nearly 300GB of storage—a claim that, while later debunked, struck a chord due to its plausibility.
File sizes for many Call of Duty games currently exceed 100GB, taking up significant space on gaming consoles. In response, Activision has committed to a series of updates aimed at reducing these hefty downloads. The changes will include a streamlined interface, improved access to individual games, enhanced control over what players download, and expanded use of streaming technology to further reduce the overall footprint of these titles.
“These changes will be rolled out in phases through a series of updates,” said an Activision representative. “After the larger initial updates, future Call of Duty downloads will decrease in size, and existing files will occupy less space on your device. As a token of appreciation for your patience, we will be gifting all players with in-game consumables, which will be delivered upon logging into Call of Duty after the Season 5 Reloaded update.”
One of the immediate benefits of these changes is that Black Ops 6 will launch with a smaller download size compared to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, a significant relief for those managing limited storage space.
The first major update, set to arrive on August 21, will lay the groundwork for these improvements. A key feature of this update is the decoupling of Call of Duty: Warzone from the mainline games, giving players more flexibility in their downloads. “To give players more control over what they’re downloading, we are decoupling the download of Call of Duty: Warzone from other titles,” Activision explained.
“When you purchase an annual title, you will only download the files for that game by default. On the free-to-play side, players can opt-in to download Call of Duty: Warzone alongside a new annual title or choose to install it separately at any time.”
These updates reflect Activision’s ongoing efforts to streamline the Call of Duty experience and alleviate the storage concerns of its player base as the series continues to grow in scope and scale.
