Call of Duty will change to provide “unique experience” each year
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 had a weaker launch than earlier entries in the series. Activision is now confirming a change in how often it puts out new Black Ops and Modern Warfare titles, after retail sales and player interest fell short of expectations. In a new blog post, the company says it will “ no longer do back-to-back releases of Modern Warfare or Black Ops games, ” aiming instead to deliver an “absolutely unique experience each and every year.”
The shift comes after a rough few weeks for Black Ops 7. European launch sales were more than 60% lower than last year’s Call of Duty and around 63% lower than Battlefield 6 in the same region. User scores have been low as well, with one report noting a 1.7 Metacritic user rating driven by criticism of the campaign and heavy use of generative AI elements. On Steam, Black Ops 7 also lagged behind competitors, peaking at about 86,000 concurrent players at launch while Battlefield 6 and Arc Raiders reached far higher counts.
Our Strategy Going Forward Is Changing
- We will no longer do back-to-back releases of Modern Warfare or Black Ops games. The reasons are many, but the main one is to ensure we provide an absolutely unique experience each and every year.
- We will drive innovation that is meaningful, not incremental. While we aren’t sharing those plans today, we look forward to doing so when the time is right.
To be clear, the future of Call of Duty is very strong and we believe our best days are ahead of us given the depth and talent of our development teams. We have been building the next era of Call of Duty, and it will deliver precisely on what you want along with some surprises that push the Franchise and the genre forward. We look forward to welcoming you in, listening to you, and moving forward together.
Activision is not walking away from Black Ops 7. The same message confirms that a free trial will open next week that covers both Multiplayer and Zombies, paired with a Double XP weekend so hesitant players can try the game without buying in. The studio also promises “unprecedented seasonal support,” describing Season 01 as the largest live season it has shipped for Black Ops, with more updates already in the pipeline. What it has not detailed yet is the exact release cadence going forward, only that Modern Warfare and Black Ops will no longer follow each other year after year.
Source: Activision
For many players, this looks like a reaction to deeper problems than just timing. Black Ops 7 has faced pushback over its reliance on AI-assisted content and a thick layer of loud, out-of-place cosmetics, while shooters like Battlefield 6 and Arc Raiders have earned more goodwill this year and proved that Call of Duty is not untouchable. And let’s not forget Battlefield 2042 wasn’t much of a success.
I have followed Call of Duty for a long time, but I am done with the current multiplayer formula. The pacing feels too quick and the game often hands out extra advantages in places where they are not needed. I have always preferred the co-op Zombies mode, and I hope developers keeps that experience close to what it is today instead of reshaping it into another fast, cosmetics-first grind.
Source: Call of Duty
