Call of Duty has changed a lot over the past few years specifically, but there’s one thing that continues to annoy gamers in the series.
The disappointment for some players this time around comes in the form of a recent trend in CoD games: Activision using fictional weapon and weapon manufacturer names in place of real-world ones. A July 21 Reddit thread discussed the changes, with many voicing their annoyance with the weird names.
The full switch to fictional manufacturer names like Kastov, Lachmann, Lockwood, Holger, Tactique Verte, and more began in 2019’s Modern Warfare. The AK-47, for example, is now known as a Kastov. The trend looks to continue in Black Ops 6, according to leaks, with more fictional weapon names used for weapons inspired by real-world guns.
“Yes,” a player replied. “I really don’t like the fake names. And on top of that, it’s confusing when talking about guns in the game to my squadmates. I tell them there’s an MP5 and they’re confused until they see it and are like ‘oh, you mean a Lachmann Sub’?”
It appears there’s a good reason for the name changes, though. Last year, the Wall Street Journal reported that Remington made a deal with Activision to use its name in 2009’s MW2 game, setting a precedent for “realism.”
But now, the company has switched to fictional names for numerous reasons, including trying to avoid liability when similar weapons are used in real-life mass shootings, and good old-fashioned trademark laws. For most players, though, it’s not a big deal.
“I think it’d be fine if they would come up with more creative names,” another player said. “Like the Fennec is an iconic name at this point as a replacement for the Vector. I just hate when they name guns like Kastov 726 or whatever and there will be six more Kastovs with different number combinations, it’s ridiculous. I’ve gotten killed in Warzone before cause I picked up a type of M4 and didn’t know it was semi auto before I got in a fight cause the name just looked the same as the regular M4.”
Many fans are likely hoping that when BO6 launches on Oct. 25, the in-game weapon names will be memorable and unique enough to differentiate.
