In quite the surprising move, Activision has just released a message from the Call of Duty team over on their official blog regarding their plans to move forwards following the somewhat underwhelming launch of Black Ops 7. Whilst the post features several promises to the player base, the most significant is their pledge to “no longer do back-to-back releases of Modern Warfare or Black Ops games”. They describe this decision as having “many” reasons behind it, but state “the main one is to ensure we provide an absolutely unique experience each and every year.”
The most noteworthy part of this announcement is probably just how direct it is. Battlefield 6 is widely seen as the big winner of the year when it comes to the shooter genre, proudly proclaiming itself as the best-selling in the genre this year and having a far higher active Steam player count to its name compared to Black Ops 7. For those who have been more tuned into the discourse around the franchises, this may not seem too surprising. Fans have been increasingly unhappy with Call of Duty, and with the vast and complex development cycle it has, it’s possible Activision didn’t have time to pivot before the launch of the ill-fated recent release.
Along with their promise to not double-dip on Modern Warfare or Black Ops releases, the Call of Duty team also announced that Black Ops 7 multiplayer and zombies will have a free trial and double XP event next weekend to try and encourage new players to give the game a chance. They also share that they will push for “innovation that is meaningful, not incremental,” with more to come on that last point in future.
What do you make of this Call of Duty announcement following the launch of Black Ops 7? Sound off in the comments below or on social media, and keep your eyes on GameObserver for more breaking gaming news.
