Black Ops Cold War leaks reveal League Play mode returning

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.

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.

• Read More: Black Ops Cold War Open Beta patch notes: Control, new weapons, more

“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.