The Strike series isn’t widely remembered today — it was a line of top‑down shooters where you piloted a military helicopter, released across platforms from the Genesis to the PlayStation 1 — yet it’s a good example of an IP that slowly vanished inside a publisher’s catalogue. It’s hard to imagine the same fate for Call of Duty, but Schofield’s point stands: franchises such as Halo and Gears of War have seen their prestige ebb since becoming part of modern Xbox.
“Unfortunately, once you’re absorbed by one of these companies,” Schofield says, “you tend to pick up some of their characteristics.” He goes on to argue that Call of Duty has already slipped, adding, “Since I left Sledgehammer, none of the games have been very good.”
We’ll soon see how Xbox’s stewardship of Call of Duty begins to play out with Black Ops 7 launching next month. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the Black Ops 7 maps to get a head start on launch.
