Disappointing sales of Black Ops 7 have pushed Activision to rethink the franchise’s development strategy.
Amid mounting criticism, the Call of Duty team issued an official statement acknowledging that “the series has not fully met players’ expectations” and pledging to “exceed them” going forward. Activision stressed that the studios poured their utmost effort into Black Ops 7, conceived as a spiritual successor to Black Ops 2, while inviting players to “judge the game for themselves.”
As a show of transparency, the company announced a free weekend offering access to Multiplayer and Zombies modes, plus double XP, so players can experience the game without limitations.
The most significant change, however, affects Call of Duty’s long-term approach. The publisher confirmed it will no longer alternate Modern Warfare and Black Ops releases every year, so each new title can deliver a genuinely new gameplay experience.
“We aim to implement meaningful innovations, not incremental tweaks. We’re not ready to share the details yet, but we will when the time comes.”
The developers also promised unprecedented ongoing support for Black Ops 7, calling the first season “the largest in the series’ history.” According to them, the team “won’t stop until the game earns its place among the best Black Ops entries.”
The future of Call of Duty looks very promising, and we believe the franchise’s best days are still ahead—thanks to the experience and talent of our development teams. We are ushering in a new era of Call of Duty that will meet your expectations and introduce surprises capable of advancing not only the series but the genre as a whole.
A reminder: sales of the new Call of Duty fell well short of projections. In EU markets, initial sales trailed Battlefield 6 by 63% and Black Ops 6 by roughly 50%, across both digital and physical formats. In the UK digital sales dropped by 61%, and in Japan Black Ops 7 recorded the weakest series launch in the last two decades.
Source: iXBT.games