Call of Duty have announced a collaboration with Netflix sensation Squid Game in the New Year and its brutal take on childhood games brings the chance to create the best new mode since 2020’s Warzone.
If you haven’t seen it or don’t know what Squid Game is, this South Korean drama sees 456 players compete in a series of children’s games with a major caveat – you lose, you die, and there can only be one winner. It’s perfectly suited to the video game format.
When it was released, Roblox and Fortnite Creative were full of Squid Game experiences as the last-man-standing format suits video games so well – battle royale games, and even Fall Guys, are a testament to this.
We haven’t seen a triple-A developer take on the format but if CoD decides to with this collaboration in Black Ops 6, it could be the best mode we’ve seen in years. If they don’t, it’ll be a huge waste.
Squid Game mode in CoD would be perfect
Party games like Prop Hunt, Gun Game, and Infected have always been one of the best parts of Call of Duty. These, combined with Squid Game’s format, would be the perfect party game format.
I loved the Gunfight tournaments and the Wager Matches in the original Black Ops; this would bring the best of it all. Being the last man standing would bring that extra level of competitiveness and bragging rights that are currently missing while being much more casual and beginner-friendly than Ranked Play.
Of course, it would have to include classic Squid Game games as well – Red Light, Green Light and the Glass Bridge would be easy to implement and a great nod to the show. But, for games that wouldn’t quite work like Marbles and the Sugar Honeycombs, they could easily be replaced with classic Call of Duty modes.
On the Glass Bridge, choosing the wrong glass panel sees players fall through to their death.
The ideal CoD x Squid Game format
Here’s how I’d set it out:
- Players: 48
- Modes:
- Red Light, Green Light (first 24 to cross move on)
- 12v12 Team Gun Game (winning team moves on)
- Glass Bridge (first four to cross move on)
- Face Off One in the Chamber (top two players move on)
- 1v1 Gunfight (best of 3)
I wouldn’t want too many modes in the mix as it’d last too long and run the risk of players leaving but it’d ideally last around 20-25 minutes for the full experience.
This would scratch the competitive itch while bringing the fun of Fortnite and Fall Guys. Rewards would also be more than welcome such as unique Operator Skins, Blueprints, and Calling Cards for winning CoD’s Squid Game.
If they kept it fresh with different modes, Sticks and Stones and MW3’s Get High for example, and new rewards, I could see this mode being a long-time staple and the best new mode since Battle Royale. We don’t know what the collab involves yet but if they don’t add a mode like this, it’ll be a huge wasted opportunity.
Squid Game Season 2 releases on December 26 so the collab’s January 2025 arrival comes at the perfect time. In the meantime, you can check out the ‘biggest change’ in the new season and what Netflix have said about creating their own video game spin-off.