The return of Verdansk on April 3 introduced players to ‘Battle Royale Casual,’ a fresh mode filled with bots that aim to offer a more relaxed gaming experience. As someone who loves the excitement of Call of Duty‘s multiplayer but often finds itself facing highly skilled opponents and frustrating skill-based matchmaking (SBMM). In both current Warfare II and III, which launched in 2022 and 2023, there was a mode called ‘Invasion.’ It mixed large maps, numerous bots, and actual players—it was fantastic. Why not create something similar for casual multiplayer players looking to have fun without the pressure?
I got spurred on by a thought-provoking post from Twitter user DETONATED. Their poll results were quite revealing:
I wouldn’t mind a ‘Multiplayer Casual’ Mode in #BlackOps6 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/4mdy1ZpLEo
— DETONATED (@DETONATEDcom) April 13, 2025
This sparked my curiosity. An interesting fact is that Call of Duty doesn’t place bots in regular multiplayer games, a practice seen in other titles over time. While many battle royale games may rely on this logic due to their more extensive player base per match, indeed, we could tailor this for standard multiplayer formats.
The ‘Invasion’ mode was an exemplary case of how fun “Multiplayer Casual” could be. Players navigated expansive maps filled with scores of bots and some real competition, leading to action-packed matches where securing high kill counts felt rewarding rather than daunting.
If we can enjoy a Battle Royale Casual, explicitly designed for less intense play with bot opponents and lower XP returns, why can’t we see something similar developed for multiplayer? Such a setup would allow gamers to grind camos, familiarize themselves with maps, and test out non-meta weapons—all while steering clear from cheaters and those frustrating matchmaking mechanics.
