Black Ops Cold War leaks reveal League Play mode returning

Joe Craven
Black ops Cold War gameplay with logo on top

Reputable Call of Duty leaker ‘TheMW2Ghost’ has claimed that an in-game challenge in Black Ops Cold War shows that League Play will make a long-awaited return when the full game drops in November. 

Despite it’s immense popularity in Black Ops 2, League Play has not yet returned in a Call of Duty game. While we’ve seen many Ranked modes – Black Ops 3’s Arena or Black Ops 4’s World League Play – the fan-favorite competitive mode has not featured in some games, including 2019’s Modern Warfare.

However, recent leaks from TheMW2Ghost suggest that an in-game challenge, similar to the one that was completed on October 17 to earn an extra day of the open Beta, will make way to reveal a League Play mode in the full game.

Black Ops II League Play
Many consider Black Ops II League Play to be the best Ranked mode in Call of Duty history.

The leaker claimed that an in-game challenge, found in the files of Black Ops Cold War, is heavily indicative of a League Play mode featuring, either at launch or as post-launch content.

“There’s a Challenge in Black Ops Cold War which is for League Play,” they tweeted. “WTF, some weird/cool challenges for Zombies too.” 

While this is not confirmed – or even unlocked – at the time of writing, the very reference to League Play in the game’s files is very good news for fans of the competitive mode.

It’s worth encouraging a degree of caution though. Past Call of Duty games have had Ranked modes confirmed as coming post-launch, only for the mode to never materialise. A number of CoD games, such as 2019’s Modern Warfare, have settled for a Call of Duty League playlist, rather than a fully fledged Ranked mode.

Treyarch on a Black Ops Cold War Ranked mode

Back in early October, David Vonderhaar was asked about the possibility of a Ranked Play mode. He responded: “Have you seen a Black Ops game without a competitive agenda?”

What League Play would mean for SBMM is also up in the air. Many have criticized the seemingly high levels of skill-based matchmaking in the Beta, but believe a Ranked playlist could mean that SBMM is reduced in public matches. We’ll have to wait and see on all fronts.

Related Topics

About The Author

Joe is a former writer for Dexerto, who focused on Call of Duty, FIFA, Apex Legends and Rainbow Six Siege.