Summary

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 focuses on geopolitics in the 1990s after the Cold War era.
• Bill Clinton has a significant presence in the game, featuring in one revealed campaign mission.
• The game may prioritize events from the H.W. Bush istration over those from Clinton's tenure.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 features a significant historical connection with the inclusion of Bill Clinton, but just how he fits into the picture of the FPS might be a bit complex. Although the Call of Duty series often deals with historical settings and events, it tends to focus more on original characters than well-known figures, crafting stories that mix a bit of fact with a lot of fiction. Black Ops 6 will still include some returning characters from the series along with introducing new ones, but it's also putting a big focus on the historical context.

This isn't the first time a Call of Duty game has put the spotlight on a former president, and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War took a similar approach of showing off Ronald Reagan in its marketing material. There's no good way to talk about the Cold War in the 1980s without dealing with Reagan, but Black Ops Cold War goes the extra mile by having the protagonist take an order from the president himself. The Black Ops series got its start with a game that featured John F. Kennedy, so including Bill Clinton sticks with tradition.

Black Ops 6 Focuses On Geopolitics In The 1990s

Bill Clinton Steered America's Presence On The Global Stage

Black Ops 6 continues the narrative of Black Ops Cold War into the 80s, tracking the aftereffects of the Soviet Union's dissolution and the complex state of world affairs. After sitting president George H.W. Bush lost re-election, Bill Clinton held the office from 1993 through the rest of the 1990s, steering the United States through a time of significant global shifts. Despite certain international maneuvers, Clinton's istration wasn't as consistently focused on intervening in international affairs as some other istrations, but the lingering impact of Bush-era events like the Gulf War in the Middle East remained relevant throughout his tenure.

Bill Clinton Has A Big Presence In Black Ops 6

One Campaign Mission Includes Bill Clinton

A Gamescom 2024 trailer for Black Ops 6, available on the official Call of Duty YouTube channel, showcased the "Most Wanted" level, which takes place at a political campaign event attended by Bill Clinton. A banner behind Clinton credits him as Governor Bill Clinton, confirming that the scene takes place while George H.W. Bush is still in office. Returning Black Ops character Frank Woods leads a mission involving the abduction of a senator, avoiding the direct involvement of Clinton in the situation while jazzing up the presentation with his notable presence.

Just how much the Black Ops 6 story campaign will cover remains to be seen. The game may focus largely on the H.W. Bush istration rather than dealing with Clinton-era events like interventions in Bosnia and the ongoing attempts to capture Osama Bin Laden, and there's certainly plenty to address in the first few years of the 90s alone. Covering the sphere of politics in the early 90s from an American perspective without touching on Clinton would be odd, however, so his inclusion in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 might have been inevitable.

Source: Call of Duty/YouTube