Activision Brings Back Popular Character For Black Ops 6 Marketing, And He Pretends To Be The Pope

With just a few more weeks to go before Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 launches on October 25, Activision’s marketing machine is ramping up. A new campaign began today, September 29, bringing back the character The Replacer, played by Peter Stormare. For anyone just catching up, the conceit of the ads is that The Replacer is the person sent in to replace the person who took a day off their job to play Call of Duty instead.

Stormare’s The Replacer debuted in 2013 and has been a mainstay for Activision’s Black Ops marketing campaigns over the years. The first in a series of commercials for Black Ops 6 featuring The Replacer went live today during Sunday’s NFL game lineup.

This is just the first of many commercials on the way, as Activision said it has put together almost 30 videos that will roll out now until the game releases. Activision teased that “some notable names” will be replaced during this latest ad campaign, but didn’t offer any other specifics.

The new spot is pretty absurd, as The Replacer subs in for a firefighter saving a cat from a tree, a rideshare driver, and even a father at family dinner (along with a spicy conversation with the mom). Even the Pope plays Call of Duty, it seems, as The Replacer takes over his job as well for a day.

Black Ops 6 launches on October 25, and unlike past years, there is no early access to the campaign. In another big change, Black Ops 6 will be available on Game Pass at launch, but only for the most expensive tiers of the service.