Debuting all the way back in 1998, Delta Force was a pretty prolific series in the earlier days of military shooters, predating both the Call of Duty and Battlefield franchises by a good few years. But with the advent of those franchises, the military shooter genre grew exponentially within a very short duration, and the Delta Force series couldn't quite keep up, with its last entry dropping in 2009. Despite that, Delta Force has returned, with Delta Force: Hawk Ops slated for release in the near future.
Announced back in August 2023, Delta Force: Hawk Ops will be a free-to-play reimagining of the military shooter series, delivering a multiplayer mode set in the 2030s, and a single-player campaign set during the 1990s. From the moment Delta Force: Hawk Ops was first revealed, it was clear that it was going to be an uphill battle for the series' bold return, and the game's most recent reveal has proven that point in pretty dramatic fashion.
Where Does Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Fit on the Timeline
Now that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has been fully revealed, its place on the Call of Duty timeline becomes clear.
Delta Force: Hawk Ops' Reveal Has Come at a Bad Time
Delta Force: Hawk Ops Has Been Overshadowed By Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Revealed fully at the recent Summer Game Fest live event, Delta Force: Hawk Ops had a pretty solid showing. Its gunplay looked tight, its visuals looked decent, its campaign mode looked intriguing, and it brought back memories of classic military shooters that the gaming world hasn't seen for over two decades. But even during this reveal, an ominous shadow loomed over Delta Force: Hawk Ops. In just a few days' time, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 was getting its own extended reveal.
The biggest military shooter franchise on the market, an entry that fans are already extremely excited about, and the first entry to release under Microsoft as a day-one Xbox Game Pass title, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is undoubtedly one of the biggest games of 2024, and its first official reveal last Sunday was a major deal. So, unfortunately, when Delta Force: Hawk Ops was shown at Summer Game Fest, it was impossible for many not to shrug it off, and instead set their sights on Black Ops 6's upcoming reveal.
Then Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's Direct aired, and it stuck the landing in a big way. After a disappointing 2023 CoD entry, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 looks like a true course correction for the franchise, offering a fully-fledged campaign mode, 16 original maps on launch, the return of round-based Zombies, and innovative new features like its Omnimovement system, all of which were presented during the Direct by a team of passionate devs. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is probably the only military shooter anyone will be talking about for a while now, which puts Delta Force: Hawk Ops in an awkward spot.
Delta Force: Hawk Ops Shouldn't Be Easily Overlooked
But while Delta Force: Hawk Ops could have probably timed its full reveal a bit better, there's still enough there to separate it from Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and to make it a game worth watching. Along with being a free-to-play multiplayer extraction shooter, Delta Force: Hawk Ops also offers some traditional team-based multiplayer modes. But by far Delta Force: Hawk Ops' most intriguing aspect is its single-player component, which looks to remaster the 2003 entry's Black Hawk Down campaign. While Black Ops 6 is also taking place in the 1990s, Delta Force: Hawk Ops' Black Hawk Down campaign should offer some unique locales, characters, and set pieces.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
- Released
- October 25, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
Forced to go rogue. Hunted from within. This is Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
Developed by Treyarch and Raven, Black Ops 6 is a spy action thriller set in the early 90s, a period of transition and upheaval in global politics, characterized by the end of the Cold War and the rise of the United States as a single superpower. With a mind-bending narrative, and unbound by the rules of engagement, this is signature Black Ops.
The Black Ops 6 Campaign provides dynamic moment-to-moment gameplay that includes a variety of play spaces with blockbuster set pieces and action-packed moments, high-stakes heists, and cloak-and-dagger spy activity.
In a best-in-class Multiplayer experience, players will test their skills across 16 new maps at launch, including 12 core 6v6 maps and 4 Strike maps that can be played 2v2 or 6v6.
Black Ops 6 also marks the epic return of Round-Based Zombies, the fan-favorite mode where players will take down hordes of the undead in two brand-new maps at launch. Post-launch, players can look forward to even more exciting maps and groundbreaking experiences dropping into both Multiplayer and Zombies.
- Developer(s)
- Treyarch, Raven Software
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
- Franchise
- Call of Duty
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC
- Genre(s)
- FPS
