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The popular free Battle Royale shooter from Xbox and Activision Call of Duty: Warzone is about to receive one of its most anticipated additions with Black Ops Royalea no-load mode heavily inspired by Black Ops 4’s Blackout mode. It is the biggest piece of content in Season 2: Reloaded, and only a few hours left until its global launch.
That ought However, being a time of feverish excitement and anticipation has quickly become mired in controversy following the Obligations equipment announced Next week, it plans to test having bots play alongside players in Black Ops Royale lobbies in Europe and the Middle East.
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📢 Call of Duty: #Warzone Over the past year, we’ve learned a lot by introducing bots through casual experiences in Battle Royale and Resurgence. Those modes helped us better understand how to deliver the best Call of Duty: Warzone gaming experience across…March 12, 2026
Since the option to play casual versions of Warzone appeals to those who aren’t very skilled at PvP or simply want a less stressful gaming experience, the Call of Duty team will likely want to offer something similar with the new Black Ops Royale mode. However, the fact that the bots are being tested in regular matches rather than in a separate playlist has angered many in the community.
At the time of writing, the post in which the developers announced their testing plans has been “provided” with more comments than likes, with the vast majority of them harshly criticizing the upcoming test.
“PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD REMOVE THE BOTS THANK YOU.” wrote TimTheTatman, one of the biggest streamers of Twitch. “The Warzone scene will be set if this applies to the entire game in all regions.” saying Another content creator was worried this was a slippery slope.
“Being forced to play against bots in a (previously) pure PvP environment takes a lot away from the experience. Choosing to play with bots (casual mode) is fine, but forcing it is a big L,” he continued.
Many competitively minded players have joined all the major Warzone content creators in complaining about bot testing, with some even arguing that the presence of any Casual offering dilutes the experience and problematically divides the player base. Others, however, claim that a casual bot experience is good for the game and ensures that everyone has a version of the game they will enjoy.
Ultimately, I think making a casual version of Black Ops Royale and keeping bots out of regular matches like the developers did with regular Warzone would be the best idea, so I hope that’s what Activision does after running these tests. Still, not testing bots in a separate playlist is a bold choice and has caused quite a storm ahead of Black Ops Royale’s release.
🗨️ Do bots have a place in Black Ops Royale?
With many different Call of Duty fans weighing in, I’m curious to hear from you. Do bots have a place in Warzone’s new Black Ops Royale mode, whether in a separate casual playlist or as part of the main experience?
Share your thoughts in the comments below and be sure to vote in our poll:
Join us at Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your ideas and discuss our latest news, reviews and more.
