In a stream a few days ago, xQc openly criticised the implementation of gentlemen's agreements in Call of Duty. According to him, the focus of the developers is too much influenced by the CDL Pro scene. Why he's not so wrong:
Call of Duty 6 and Warzone are losing relevance, with both games experiencing significant drops in player numbers, according to the latest Steam charts.
Initially well-received after its release, Black Ops struggled to maintain player interest as recent updates failed to resonate with the community.
xQc recently analyzed this issue during a stream, arriving at a surprisingly logical conclusion.
xQc Blames the CDL
xQc attributes the decline in player engagement to the heavy focus on pro players.
He argues that the developers are too fixated on updates and expansions tailored to the CDL (Call of Duty League), alienating the average player.
This approach, according to xQc, not only ruins the experience for casual players but also contributes to declining player numbers, ultimately making the competitive CoD esports scene increasingly irrelevant.
“Pro players need to f****** shut up, log off the game, throw the computer in the garbage, and get a job at Home Depot or McDonald's,”
xQc exclaimed, referring to the influence of Gentlemen's Agreements (GAs) on ranked play.
The Impact of GAs
CDL pros often introduce GAs to ban specific weapons or items, limiting their use in competitive play.
Once established, developers typically enforce these restrictions in ranked matches, forcing regular players to adhere to the pros' rules.
This often results in a significantly reduced selection of weapons and equipment for everyone.
“The game could be more,” xQc noted. “You can only use one out of 60 guns and four attachments, even though there are six slots.”
OpTic Gaming Agrees with xQc
In a recent OpTic Gaming podcast, Hector "H3CZ" Rodriguez and his team discussed xQc’s critique of CDL GAs.
While they found his rant entertaining, they acknowledged the validity of his points.
H3CZ emphasized that there are too many GAs, particularly in Black Ops 6, and urged developers to improve weapon balancing.
While some GAs are necessary, not every weapon and item needs to be banned, suggesting a balance between xQc’s perspective and the current pro strategies.
Dear @dtsay56 and @CODLeague On behalf of the entire CDL Challenger's community....W Optic Hecz for letting the community know. pic.twitter.com/ZMRcPFDswT
— Garza (@GarzaBeatz) January 9, 2025
Whether these criticisms will be addressed remains uncertain. Events and tournaments for 2025 are already scheduled, with GA implementation firmly entrenched.
However, for future Call of Duty titles, a fresh approach that fosters better interaction with the broader community could offer all players a more dynamic ranked experience.
How do you see the situation in CoD? Are the GAs too comprehensive? Let us know in the comments!