Could Microsoft be sitting on an unwitting, nostalgic Xbox goldmine?

If you're my age without kids or younger siblings, there's a good chance you won't even know the game I'm about to talk about. The franchise could be poised for a huge comeback, though, if Microsoft has the vision.

Recently, XboxGamePreservation.com published its first user analysis. The website offers users the chance to vote on games they want to see revived under Xbox's backwards compatibility program, which the firm has been teasing for a comeback to celebrate Xbox's 25th anniversary.

Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S consoles can run a variety of Xbox 360 and OG Xbox games from yesteryear. Some titles like Final Fantasy 13 and Fallout 3 also received resolution and frame rate bumps from Microsoft's emulation tech. But the firm said it had exhausted all legal possibilities for franchise revivals. That was before it acquired Activision-Blizzard, though.

XboxGamePreservation.com's per-franchise analysis shows that Activision franchise Skylanders is by far now the most-requested for revival, ahead of big licensed properties like Transformers and Spider-Man.

Skylanders was originally conceived as a spin-off of Spyro, which is also receiving a new game published by Xbox for 2027. Former Activision studio returned indie Toys for Bob has taken up the reins of Spyro, and had previously worked extensively on both Crash Bandicoot and Skylanders itself.

Skylanders pioneered the toys-to-life genre, which let users buy collectible toys that could "teleport" into the game via an NFC USB accessory. Activision sold mountains upon mountains of the toys and games, but much like Guitar Hero, milked it a bit too hard to the point it fell quite rapidly out of fashion.

Skylanders was really popular in the early 2010s and represents happy childhood memories for millions of Gen-Z gamers who are now emerging into adulthood.

Could Microsoft be sitting on a potential nostalgic goldmine here, akin to how millennials show up for Mario, Zelda, and Pokémon?

Xbox Back Compat and Spyro could test the viability of reviving Skylanders under Toys for Bob

Toys for Bob's Spyro trailer is currently sitting on 16 million views as of writing, and while some of that is likely from paid ad-boosting traffic, the comments and celebrations are genuine. Hundreds of YouTube videos celebrating the franchise's revival after two decades offer a hint at the quiet nostalgia that exists for franchises like Spyro, Crash, and Banjo ... and given how dark things are IRL, perhaps some colorful respite might be just what the doctor ordered.

Physical toys are a tricky business without a doubt. Collectible figurine brand Funko POP has been facing a bankruptcy crisis as users opt for similar, albeit much more premium collectibles from the likes of Figma and Nendoroid. But it's pretty clear there's a market here.

Millennials in the so-called "kidult" cohort have driven brands like Lego to record profits. Lego responded by delivering licensed sets based on more adult-facing franchises, alongside nostalgic sets like Ghostbusters and the like.

There's a clear opportunity here for Microsoft and Skylanders, potentially. Microsoft has a truly VAST wealth of nostalgic IP they could tap into for this specific collectible genre, targeting parents with kids, nostalgic Gen-Z'ers, or even older.

It's perhaps the wrong time to be pitching Xbox on new ideas as it looks set to close studios rather than invest in new products ... alas. Microsoft's IP library is clearly its biggest, most untapped goldmine right now. But it would take some real vision and real investment to extract that. Microsoft is typically anti-culture, though, so I'm not sure it is part of their DNA. Maybe new CEO Asha Sharma will change things.

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Infinity Ward and Activision have officially confirmed another preorder bonus for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. Players who preorder the game digitally will receive early access to the upcoming first-person shooter's campaign starting on October 16.

Infinity Ward officially revealed Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 ahead of the June 7 Xbox Games Showcase at the end of May and has been surprisingly forthcoming in what players can expect when it launches in full on October 23. The reveal trailer for Modern Warfare 4 has racked up an astounding 58 million views on YouTube in just two weeks, already surpassing the 49 million views of the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 reveal trailer from nine months ago.

Since the initial reveal, Infinity Ward has released several devlogs detailing the studio's philosophy behind the new game, and a proper reveal of the upcoming third mode, DMZ, was part of the Xbox Games Showcase. There are still a lot of details left unknown about Modern Warfare 4's campaign, however. Players last left the characters of the Modern Warfare franchise grappling with the death of Soap MacTavish at the hands of series antagonist, Makarov, while a post-credits scene showed beloved character Captain Price take out General Shepherd in his office at the end of Sledgehammer Games' Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Infinity Ward has shifted the focus of the campaign for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 to Private Park, a young soldier enlisted in the South Korean military who is faced with live combat when North Korea launches a full-scale invasion of the South.

While the war between North and South Korea serves as the front lines of the campaign, players will see Captain Price return in a new light as he is fueled by the need for revenge of Soap's death. In the reveal trailer, players see a scene between fan-favorite Simon "Ghost" Riley and Captain Price where the two appear to be adversaries. Ghost claims Price has "broken a lot of rules", to which Price replies, "No more rules."

We also know from the reveal trailer that Captain Price has teamed up with former TF141 adversary Valeria "El Sin Nombre" Garza as he seeks a powerful weapon that could ultimately shift the balance of power.

Spoilers for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 have become a hot topic as the developers at Infinity Ward have openly discussed the game's storyline in great detail as part of the reveal of the DMZ mode. With the campaign now serving as a preorder bonus, players who wait until launch or just after are at an even greater risk of spoilers from those who unlock access early by preordering.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is available to preorder now at participating retailers, in-game, on platform stores, or at CallofDuty.com. The game launches on October 23, with campaign early access for preorders kicking off on October 16, and will be available on XBOX Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via XBOX on PC, Steam, and Battle.net. It is the first Call of Duty title to not be available on last-gen consoles.

Despite being a first-party XBOX title, Modern Warfare 4 will not be available on XBOX Game Pass or PC Game Pass until October 23, 2027 as part of a recent move by XBOX to cut the price of the subscription service.

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PlaySt... I mean, Xbox's own franchise, at least now that Activision was acquired in 2023, Spyro the Dragon has become something of a sleeper hit. At least if YouTube views are anything to go by.

Ironically, Spyro, which was originally created by Insomniac Games for PlayStation in the late 1990s, is now outperforming Insomniac's latest major project, Wolverine, on YouTube. Both trailers are performing extremely well. Wolverine alone has pulled in more than 6 million views, but it doesn't quite stack up to Spyro: A Realm Beyond, which has now raked in over 10 million views on its reveal trailer.

Of course, I am poking the bear a little here, and I do know YouTube views don't really equate to sales, but it is interesting to see just how popular Spyro remains. That's why it surprised me to learn that the game is also launching on PlayStation 5 and, to a lesser extent, Nintendo Switch 2.

It's one of several games whose multiplatform release has left me scratching my head. After Xbox declared that exclusives are back by locking down Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution, I couldn't help but wonder why titles like Senua, State of Decay 3, and especially Spyro weren't given the same treatment.

Spyro in particular feels like a game that could genuinely move hardware. Seeing just how well the reveal trailer has performed only reinforces that feeling.

I guess it's just confusing. I know Xbox wants to do more exclusives, and Sharma herself has said as much, but that also came with the asterisk that Xbox simply isn't in a healthy place right now. From the sounds of it, those additional exclusives will come as the business becomes healthier.

Back to Spyro, though, I think it is something Microsoft and Xbox should take notice of, though. Nostalgia is a fickle thing, and it does compound over time. Every year that passes, more people grow up with franchises like Spyro/Skylanders, Halo, and Gears of War, creating entirely new generations of fans alongside the ones who were there from the beginning.

That's why I think there's more value in these legacy franchises than Xbox sometimes realizes. When handled correctly, they don't just sell games; they remind people why they fell in love with gaming in the first place, whilst also presenting the opportunity to help ship hardware.

I do think, though, that Xbox needs to be more aggressive if it wants to regain momentum and win back fans. Otherwise, it risks what many will see as yet more mixed messaging at a time when the company needs a clear direction.

Maybe that's just how I see it, though. Let me know what you think in the comments, and be sure to take part in our poll!

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is here. Set during a North Korean invasion of South Korea, the team behind the game, Infinity Ward, is promising a more grounded Call of Duty. Perhaps those promises are working, as the game's reveal trailer has now surpassed 46 million views in just two days.

Thanks to several posts on X (formerly Twitter), we now have a fresh look at the game's movement system. Since X embeds never seem to work, thanks Elon, I'll attach a YouTube video below instead.

As you can see from the gameplay above, movement appears much faster than in Modern Warfare 2 and noticeably smoother too. Players can jump, mantle, tac-sprint, and then slide almost immediately, while mantling doesn't seem to break momentum in any meaningful way.

While it doesn't look quite as extreme as omni-movement, it still appears to offer a fair amount of freedom, even when players are prone. One addition that particularly stood out to me was the ability to climb pipes, which adds a new layer to gameplay that we haven't really seen before and opens up new opportunities for flanking.

It does also appear that slide canceling has returned, but it does seem more restrictive than the previous game, which I’m sure is all part of Infinity Ward's efforts to make the game feel as responsive as possible without just making you move faster.

What I do also like is the new Create-a-Class. It's refreshing to get a redesign of a system we've been using for years, and I think it looks much better to me. It features a new vertical layout, as you can see, and interestingly, it appears you can now assign specific operators to individual classes. It also shows there are now three weapon slots: a primary, a secondary, and a dedicated melee weapon slot.

I also like how much cleaner the overall layout looks. Everything seems easier to read at a glance, and having killstreaks displayed alongside your loadout should make it quicker to see exactly how a class is set up before jumping into a match.

It's still early days, and my mind isn't quite made up on Modern Warfare 4 yet. The developers are promising a more grounded experience with "No Lady Gaga," as they put it, and after not really enjoying Black Ops 7, this could be the game that pulls me back in. Thankfully, I've got until October to make up my mind.

But what about you? Has Infinity Ward managed to pull you in, and what do you think of the movement changes and updates to Create-a-Class?

Let me know in the comments, and be sure to take part in our poll below:

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is Infinity Ward's latest entry in the Call of Duty franchise, and it's already making quite a splash. The reveal trailer alone has surpassed 40 million views, and the developers are planning to fix one of the franchise's most frustrating issues while also leaving last-generation consoles behind.

I mean, I'm kind of intrigued. If not for myself, then at least for my dad.

Now, we've got another reason to pay attention. The developers have taken to X (formerly Twitter) to push back against the idea of wacky multiplayer skins, instead promising a more grounded Call of Duty experience. As someone who has grown tired of some of the more outlandish collaborations in recent years, that certainly caught my attention, so let's take a look at the details.

In a post on X, Infinity Ward stated:

“Every aspect of Modern Warfare 4 is anchored in the game's narrative. Every feature, every decision needs to feel authentic to what Modern Warfare is, and that includes cosmetics and collabs. We're committed to keeping it grounded and transparent, and we want to hear from you on what you'd like to see in our game.”

Many fans were quick to take a "believe it when I see it" stance, as this isn't the first time Call of Duty has pushed back against wacky skins, only for them to appear later down the line.

One fan, however, took things a step further, quote-reposting the post and saying:

“Screenshot this tweet to throw at their faces whenever they decide to toss in Lady Gaga, Omni-Man, or some other goofy collaboration into the game.”

To that, the official Call of Duty X account replied:

“No Lady Gaga. No Omni-Man. No Teletubbies. No SpongeBob. Keep the receipts.”

It's nice to see, but I'm also in the camp of "believe it when I see it." I used to love Call of Duty back in the day, but I must admit I've grown a bit tired of the franchise's yearly releases.

That's not to say they can't win me back, though. Modern Warfare 4 has certainly made an impression so far, and if Infinity Ward sticks to its word, that only makes the game more interesting to me.

But what about you? How do you feel about the comments made by the team? Is it enough to sway you, or are you not interested at all?

Let me know in the comments, and be sure to take part in our poll!

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Crash Bandicoot lives on, which means part of my childhood does too, and that warms my heart. Recently, I covered a fan-made Unreal Engine 5 project called "Sprash" that combines Crash Bandicoot and Spyro, which you should definitely check out.

Anyway, not onto the trademark filing. It appears Activision has now filed a trademark covering television, movie, and animated productions based on the Crash Bandicoot franchise.

This comes on the heels of reports that Netflix was developing a Crash Bandicoot animated series. However, nothing ever materialized from those rumors, but that doesn't necessarily mean the project is dead or not real. At the very least, this new trademark filing suggests Activision is exploring the possibility of expanding Crash Bandicoot beyond video games and into film, television, or animation.

Of course, we're currently in the middle of a wave of video game adaptations. Whether it's Mario, Sonic, Fallout, the Halo TV series, or the upcoming Gears of War adaptation, there is no shortage of game franchises making the jump to the screen.

Let's just hope Crash Bandicoot ends up in the same category as Fallout and Sonic. Personally, I'd rather see it avoid the mistakes made by Halo and, to a lesser extent, Mario. Not to say Mario was anywhere near as bad as Halo, but I certainly didn't enjoy the latest movie as much as most people seemed to.

Personally, I'd be all for a Crash Bandicoot series. Now that Activision is part of Microsoft, I think Microsoft should continue expanding its presence in the entertainment space, and television and movies are a great way to do that.

As we've seen with adaptations like Fallout, a successful TV series can also give the games themselves a boost in players. If done well, a Crash Bandicoot adaptation could introduce the franchise to a whole new audience while giving longtime fans something to enjoy as well.

But what do you think? Would you be excited for a Crash Bandicoot movie or TV show? Let me know in the comments, and be sure to take part in our poll!

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Call of Duty has had a rollercoaster ride the last two years. Treyarch’s initial release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 in 2024 felt like lightning in a bottle.

The game’s new omnimovement system and snappy time-to-kill were the high-octane action-heavy gameplay that many vocal fans in online Call of Duty communities had been begging for.

And yet, the excitement for Black Ops’ return quickly fizzled out after the launch of the first round of seasonal content.

Players were being thrown into lobbies that were heavily impacted by rampant cheating, and Treyarch ultimately had to delay the planned content drop for Season 2 for an all-hands-on-deck rework of the proprietary anti-cheat system, RICOCHET.

Just as the ship felt like it was beginning to right itself, Treyarch announced that it would be releasing Black Ops 7 as a direct sequel to Black Ops 6. The community was divided on the decision to forgo the head-studio rotation it was accustomed to.

Additionally, a rift formed between Zombies players who wanted Activision’s Carry Forward policy to allow them to take unlocked Zombies skins to the new game versus Multiplayer fans who — fed up with some of the more ridiculous operator bundles that were plaguing the storefront — were ready to make Carry Forward a sacrificial lamb if it let them get rid of Beavis and Butthead from the battlefield.

The launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 did little to mend the hearts of the community, as some took issue with the game’s more experimental campaign. However, Treyarch’s efforts to cater to the whims of Multiplayer fans won over a portion of gamers. Still, the game ultimately struggled to find its footing when compared to its predecessors.

Black Ops 7’s launch woes led to its publisher, Microsoft-owned Activision, reconsidering release schedules and returning to the classic studio rotation of the past. Xbox’s new CEO, Asha Sharma, also announced the game would no longer launch day one on the Xbox Game Pass service in an effort to alleviate the negative feedback following the subscription’s freshly increased price — though patient players can still expect to see it included with the service 1 year after launch.

Despite the hurdles in front of Infinity Ward, there’s an obvious pride among the team members when they talk about the newly revealed Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. “I think we’re in a good place,” says Jacky Reynolds, multiplayer design lead for Infinity Ward, “We worked a lot — really hard — to get the game pretty holistic by the end of last year. We’re massaging and tweaking and refining and trying to get it … as good as possible… before we launch it.”

Finding Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4's identity in the wake of Black Ops 7

Infinity Ward has recently shared a significant amount of information about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, including the campaign’s new South Korean setting, the collection of multiplayer maps, and upcoming changes to player movement. Its player movement that has the greatest potential to be a hotbed of discussion for players.

Treyarch’s new Omnimovement system was introduced just two years ago, featuring thousands of new animations that have been integrated across both Black Ops 6, 7, and Warzone. BO7 doubled down on the faster movement with the wall jump motion, bridging the gap for players who wanted more vertical movement options and those who wanted to keep things boots on the ground.

Modern Warfare 4 has dropped the wall jump capability, firmly towing the boots-on-the-ground line. But Infinity Ward did not completely step back from Omnimovement, instead building on sliding mechanics that benefit from Treyarch’s supine positioning as well as further improving mantling, lean animations, and introducing ledge crawling. While I was speaking with the multiplayer team, I took a moment to ask how Infinity Ward decides which features from other franchises make their way into Modern Warfare.

“We’re all different games,” says Reynolds, “even though we’re under the same franchise. I think it is important that we present a different game. It’s fresh and different, so we make the game that we want to make. Modern Warfare has its own kind of vibe, and we just ran that through a big filter — does it feel like a grounded military experience?”

“That’s kind of the lens that we make our game around,” says technical designer Jack Hoppus. “How do we make something that’s really true to us, true to the Modern Warfare series? But also, how is a new player going to feel using this? Are our systems intuitive enough?"

"We’re striving for something really good with our movement system, as well. I think a player who’s just getting their hands on the game is going to be able to move around with ease, and if you play for a longer time, you’re going to really be able to master it. I feel like we have this really strong identity that we’re shooting for with this game. Someone who gets their hands on it is going to feel [that identity] right away.”

Building immersion with the little details

The identity Hoppus speaks of is quick and easy to pick up on, as Modern Warfare 4 fully embraces its South Korean staging — even using Korean-inspired stylization for the numeral in the game’s logo. The inspiration flows over into the Multiplayer mode’s maps. “We try to share as many locations as we can with the singleplayer. Under the hood, it’s … logistics. We need to scan locations, come up with a set of textures, and a bunch of boring little things. We really want it to feel like a holistic world,” says Reynolds.

“I’ve always felt like the multiplayer map is like 2 blocks down from the mission that happened in singleplayer. If you hear system gunfire, it’s another team, and they’re doing another operation. We started with Silkworm, because we needed a map that would generate assets for South Korea, and then we also started with Lotus, which was a coastal town in South Korea."

"So both of those generated an urban center and the rural center, and then we were able to give a ‘to-do list’ for teams to go and find those things,” Reynolds continued, “Find little newspaper stands and these things that make it feel authentic. Find the paint they would [use] on their roads. There’s red strips on their roads. How do we bring all these things in to make it feel as legitimate as we can?”

It's these seemingly ‘boring’ details that build upon the immersion players experience in Modern Warfare 4. Modern Warfare titles, even in the Xbox 360 era, frequently included interactive map details. However, remastered maps like Favela lost those little bits of interactivity when Modern Warfare was rebooted a few years ago.

Modern Warfare 4 embraces world immersion with those little details once more, ushering in a new creative era for the studio that is both celebrating its past identity and embracing its potential future under new studio leadership.

The Call of Duty Engine and launching on the Nintendo Switch 2

That return to immersive worlds comes at a cost, though. Earlier this month, official Call of Duty social media accounts confirmed that Modern Warfare 4 would be the first game in the series to skip launching on past-gen systems like the Xbox One X and S and the PlayStation 4. The decision to forgo last-gen consoles gave the development team the freedom to push Modern Warfare 4’s limits — which made the reveal that MW4 is to be available on the Nintendo Switch 2 at launch all the more surprising.

“Early on, getting [MW4] to run quick and responsive was the biggest [challenge],” says Reynolds, “Just tweaking its architecture, which is kind of different than our base, and to get it to sing. It’s just been great to pick it up, and it’s scary how natural it feels.”

“Oh, that’s our game,” says Hoppus through laughter, “It just plays pretty well!”

“Switching platforms these days? It’s such a streamlined system that we can have different kits playing… especially with crossplay,” Reynolds added, “Unless we really push that boundary, we’re able to mix and match and just see the nuances between the settings and make adjustments.”

Infinity Ward’s engine for Call of Duty has long been lauded by fans who mistakenly still refer to it as IW8 and speculate about the existence of IW9. However, the engine pushing Call of Duty evolved some time ago to be a shared system used by all the studios working on the franchise as “the Call of Duty Engine.” “It’s a shared engine,” says Reynolds, “we can access other games, but we try to keep as holistic as we can.”

“As we explore new tech, especially with our dynamic weather, the engine is evolving,” says Hoppus, “We put a lot of work in our engine and make sure what follows sweep this performance bar and visual bar that we want to hit for the content.”

“[The engine] has allowed us to realize ideas on the design side in a very streamlined way,” Hoppus continues, “There’s not a huge amount of friction when you come to …an idea. It’s attainable for sure.”

Not every idea gets the green light, even with the power of the Call of Duty engine. “My original idea of how to do Kill Block, we couldn’t do it, really,” says Reynolds. Kill Block is Modern Warfare 4’s new dynamic map, inspired by stadiums with retractable pitches that allow for quick transitions between grass-laid fields, hockey rinks, and basketball courts.

“They had to come up with an interesting way that it works, but my original idea … would take 18 man-years. But they figured it out. It looks like a little postage stamp, but the tech that runs that is pretty outrageous.”

Weapon changes for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4

Modern Warfare 4’s improvements don’t stop at a new setting and map tech. Weapon mechanics like aiming and depth of field underwent serious reworkings for the upcoming Call of Duty, changing the way players interact in this new world.

“Our weapons team obsesses over this,” says Hoppus, “They see details that no one else in the world would be able to see. All of the improvements that we’re doing to weapons kind of fall under this shared goal of making you feel like you’re the one holding the gun. You feel the weight of the gun."

"It’s more realistic than ever before. When we see the side-by-side videos, you’re like, ‘How did we ever ship like this in the past?’ We come at it from a realism standpoint, a gameplay standpoint, and try to make something that really fits and feels fun for the player. Like with the enhanced FOV, it’s trying to take the best of both worlds. A high FOV makes targets really small, the big FOV makes them bigger, but you don’t see as much of the sides of the screen. So our engineers and our weapon designers really took it upon themselves to find the best balance.”

Modern Warfare 4 sticks with the series’ gunsmith mechanic for weapon loadouts, though it is more simplified than past iterations. Players can choose up to five attachments for any given weapon, with the pros and cons of those attachments being displayed clearly so the player knows how it will affect the weapon once its live on the battlefield.

“The gunsmith has evolved so much that you can really [put together] any kind of build you want,” says Hoppus, “If you’re going to be good at something — like you want a really good hip firing gun or a really good quickscoping gun, I think it's easy to make that in the gunsmith now. We have over 500 attachments, right? So each one of them is going to do something different. Our [weapons team] loves working on iron sights — it’s their bread and butter! So we got some sick ones in our game now.”

Hoppus also leans into Modern Warfare 4’s new Gunny system for the freedom it affords players in trying out new attachment combinations. Gunny is a new gunsmith addition that dynamically generates weapon builds for players with the press of a button.

“For all of the attachments that you have unlocked, each supports play styles. So [Gunny] is a kind of handcrafted system from our weapons team to sort out these attachments and generate a configuration that works. It’s not going to block one of your attachments; it’s building this optimal weapon for you, and it’ll use every attachment you currently have unlocked. You can just keep cycling through it to find one,” he explains.

“Gunny works in the middle of a match, as well, so you don’t have to go back in the front end. And you can actually edit them after the fact. Something that’s really popular even among some of the hardcore players is getting an initial Gunny build, maybe try it out for a match or two, and then you’re like 'ooh, cool, I want this with no stock instead.' You can take that Gunny build and still edit it after the fact. You’re not locked into that specific configuration.”

“We make this robust gunsmithing system, but it can be overwhelming with how many choices [it has],” says Reynolds, “So that’s where the idea of [Gunny comes in]. Could we just say, ‘This is all of your stuff, this is actually a pretty good gun. Why don’t you go give it a try?’ It’s an onboarding [tool] to help people engage with the system and then hopefully, ideally, continue to engage with them.”

With so many potential combinations for Gunny to assemble weapon builds, it almost seems inevitable that the system would throw some duds. Reynolds verifies that the builds generated by Gunny have been prebuilt and aren’t entirely up to random luck, though he adds, “Sometimes they’ll set up some systems where you just get this really random, crazy one, and then we’ll try it and be like ‘Oh, it’s actually not that bad!’”

“We have the Mosen — long single bolt,” Reynolds sighs before continuing, “It’s been spitting out these snub-nose cut-off little pirate gun.” Hoppus chimes in, “But it’s great for quickscoping! People are going to be able to make their COD montages, for sure.” Hoppus and Reynolds close out the interview by sharing their current favorite loadouts for Modern Warfare 4.

“Right now, I’ve been using one of our new guns, a side-loaded SMG. I’ve been rocking with that, and I’m a quick fix guy. Ever since we debuted that perk, it’s been my favorite. I run ninja to try to, like, move stealthily around the map, and then I got some kill streaks. I run the bomb glider. I run the crossfire, and I’ll run the attack chopper so I don’t have to my gun down,” Hoppus shares.

“I’m a fan of the Odin,” says Reynolds, “That gun just looks crazy. You get the big monolithic suppressor on there, and it just looks like it’s OP.” “It’s a really strong, slower-firing AR,” adds Hoppus, “it feels really like it’s going ‘thunk thunk’. The audio team was killing it with [the Odin]! It really feels like a behemoth. It’s pretty rad.”

Modern Warfare 4 ushers in a new era for the Call of Duty franchise and Infinity Ward as a development studio. With new leadership at the helm, the team is taking the opportunity to explore new creative directions without losing sight of what makes Modern Warfare special to so many players. The team's excitement for this new era of Call of Duty is palpable and downright contagious.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is expected to launch Fall 2026 on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PC via Steam and Xbox on PC, and the Nintendo Switch 2. The game will not be available on Xbox Game Pass until 2027, but it will support the Xbox Play Anywhere program at launch.

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An unusual broadcast has taken over the official Call of Duty YouTube channels. The broadcast started at approximately 5 AM ET today with body cam footage from a squadron of soldiers exploring the streets of a Korean city. The squad visits a convenience store for snacks just before an attack on the city leaves everything in ruin.

The body cam footage showcases a variety of potential easter eggs, including a time-stamped date of October 28, 2026 — a potential release date for an upcoming Call of Duty title.

Following the attack, audio for the live stream has included sirens, gunfire, and the sounds of attack survivors.

The live stream is simply titled "카메라 004 | LIVE". The Korean text translates to "Camera 004". There is no countdown or other indicators that a reveal or additional information is pending.

However, Call of Duty has pinned a comment to the YouTube chat with a link to the game's official Discord server.

Rumors that this year's Call of Duty title would be set in Korea have made their way across social media. At one point, Activision even went so far as to issue cease-and-desist letters to prominent leakers.

Infinity Ward is confirmed to be developing Call of Duty 2026, with the studio's new co-leads taking to the official COD POD to answer a Q&A session.

In addition to the new COD POD and the current teaser stream, several well known Call of Duty content creators have teased recent travel plans — a sign that Infinity Ward may already be showing off the latest Call of Duty to creators in anticipation of an upcoming reveal.

This is a developing story...

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Many might not know, or perhaps have forgotten, that Crash Bandicoot and Spyro now both sit under the Xbox umbrella following Activision’s acquisition a few years ago. While many of us are still hoping to see games from these franchises eventually become available on Game Pass, or at least see more Activision titles added to the service, that may still be quite a long way off if it happens at all.

What I did stumble across online, though, is one absolutely insane fan project that combines both Crash Bandicoot and Spyro into a single game, dubbed “Sprash.”

The fan project, developed by qtderg and Bubaroness, is essentially a combination of two iconic ’90s franchises that were once synonymous with PlayStation and are now owned by Xbox. Powered by Unreal Engine 5, the project aims to recreate Spyro: Year of the Dragon within the engine while also introducing Crash Bandicoot into the experience.

Currently, Sprash is only playable through a demo build, though it already includes three levels: Sunrise Spring Home, Sunny Villa, and Sheila’s Alp. All of them aim to improve upon the original game with higher frame rates, co-op multiplayer, and, of course, the addition of Crash Bandicoot himself.

Believe it or not, I actually used to be quite a big PlayStation fan back in the day, before I gradually lost my love for the brand during the PS4 era. A large part of that came down to not enjoying the output of games in the same way I did when I was younger, because growing up, platformers were a huge part of why I loved PlayStation in the first place.

That means both Crash and Spyro are franchises I look back on with a lot of fond memories, and I’m sure many others do too. So when I came across this project online, I just thought it was genuinely cool and wanted to share it.

You can download the project from here, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on fan projects like this and whether you enjoy them or not. Be sure to leave a comment and take part in our poll.

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Activision has only gone and pushed out a fairly significant piece of Call of Duty news in about the most casual fashion imaginable; last-gen consoles are out.

Responding to rumors that surfaced online through the official Call of Duty X account, the Microsoft-owned publisher has provided confirmation of a big change for the game we assume will be Modern Warfare 4.

The rumor and the retort specifically name-dropped the PS4, but you'd assume Xbox One will suffer the same fate, with owners of each not being able to play this year's Call of Duty.

That both last-gen consoles hung on so long is remarkable enough, but then you have to assume why. Given the cost of making a Call of Duty game, the player base had to be there to make it worthwhile. So on that front, there's probably a whole bunch of folks who simply won't be able to play this year's game.

But I'm happy to hear it. For one, it's just not a good enough experience on the Xbox One and PS4 anymore.

I tried Black Ops 7 on the Xbox One during its beta period, and the difference was night and day. Admittedly I've not gone back since, but given its state then, I can't imagine it was possible to improve it sufficiently. I said then that we need to leave the past behind, and it looks like we're doing just that.

Modern Warfare 4 (if indeed, that's what it's actually called) is already up against it. Xbox recently made the decision to remove future Call of Duty titles from Xbox Game Pass, which is one factor that may affect player counts. Now we know that last-gen console players are out, too.

Then of course, the looming goliath: GTA 6. Call of Duty traditionally launches in Q4 of the year these days, and there's nothing to suggest it'll be any different for 2026. GTA 6 is currently slated to launch on November 19. Call of Duty is big, but GTA is something else.

So it's going to be an interesting year to follow on all fronts. On one hand, not being hamstrung by last-gen consoles should give some breathing room to make a better overall product. But with two self-inflicted decisions that could cut player counts and one nobody can do anything about... I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Is this the right call, or is it a huge mistake? Hit the poll above and let me know why you voted that way in the comments below!

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Xbox has been on a huge comeback lately, telling players “we are Xbox.” While that message was aimed at fans, it clearly goes much deeper than that.

Xbox is also back internally. After shuttering the name Microsoft Gaming, something that arguably should never have existed in my opinion. Now, the company is returning to Xbox branding across the board. Thanks to reporting from The Verge, it looks like that push is extending to employee email addresses, giving those that work at Xbox unique Xbox branded emails.

Before we dive right in, I just want to say that I for one am so glad Microsoft Gaming is no more and that we’re getting Team Green actually being green again, instead of the minimalist, generic branding they had adopted. With the rebranding of Microsoft Gaming has also come new email addresses for Xbox employees, with an @xbox.com address set to roll out next month.

Prior to this, employees used @microsoft.com addresses. According to The Verge, they will have the option to opt in or opt out, meaning they can adopt the new @xbox.com address or keep their existing one as default.

Interestingly, over on the Mojang side of things, they will also be getting new addresses with @mojang.com. Both Mojang and Xbox employees will still maintain their @microsoft.com emails as aliases.

According to The Verge, this change is being made as part of efforts to strengthen “the Xbox identity inside and outside of Microsoft.” As for Activision and Bethesda, employees will continue to use their own email addresses.

For me, this feels like a pretty positive change, one that could help create more unity across Xbox. While it is more of an internal shift than something that directly affects us, the players, it's still good to see these kinds of changes being made, as they show that active steps are being taken to improve Xbox from within.

Let me know how you feel about this change. Do you care, or does it not really matter to you? Drop your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to take part in our poll!

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This week, Microsoft introduced a massive change to its Xbox Game Pass Ultimate service that lowered its price from $29.99/month to $22.99/month effective immediately, making the premium tier of Xbox Game Pass $7 more affordable than it was after the firm infamously hiked its price up 50% last year. The move has been widely praised by Xbox and PC gamers all over — though it didn't come without cost.

The price drop was accompanied by the news that new Call of Duty games will no longer be available on Game Pass at launch, and will instead come to the program a year after they release. The idea here is to make Game Pass more affordable while simultaneously trying to stop it from cannibalizing Call of Duty sales as it has with recent releases, which most fans seem perfectly okay with.

Something many have criticized, however, is the fact that only a handful of the colossal franchise's games are on Game Pass, with many classics and even entries as recent as 2021's Call of Duty: Vanguard currently unavailable on the service. That's a massive bummer, especially since many old Call of Duty titles are still surprisingly expensive to buy permanently.

Thankfully, though, that's reportedly set to change later this year, as a source at Microsoft and Activision has confirmed to our friends at PC Gamer that Xbox plans to bring more Call of Duty games to Game Pass at some point in 2026.

It's unclear which games will come to Xbox Game Pass or how many of them are on the way right now, though there's a large list of potential candidates; at present, 15 Call of Duty entries are absent from the service, including the following:

• Call of Duty (2003)
• Call of Duty 2 (2005)
• Call of Duty 2: Big Red One (2005)
• Call of Duty 3 (2006)
• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)
• Call of Duty: World at War (2008)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)
• Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011)
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (2012)
• Call of Duty: Ghosts (2013)
• Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2014)
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 (2015)
• Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (2016)
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (2018)
• Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (2020)
• Call of Duty: Vanguard (2021)

Of these, it would be great to at the very least see some of the most popular games in Call of Duty history — Modern Warfare, World at War, Modern Warfare 2, Black Ops, Black Ops 2, and Ghosts — make their way onto Game Pass. In an ideal world, though, we'd see the entire franchise in the program's catalog.

Notably, this news comes after the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare reboot came to Game Pass last week, joining its sequels Modern Warfare 2 and Modern Warfare 3. The Modern Warfare reboot is also surging right now thanks to a Steam sale; that shows how cheaper access to older games can give them a serious boost, and why putting classic Call of Duty titles on Game Pass is a good idea.

Which older Call of Duty games would you like to see made available on Xbox Game Pass? What's your favorite title in the series? Voice your opinion in the comments, and vote in our poll about the decision to remove Call of Duty from day-one Game Pass access, too.

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Xbox and Activision's Call of Duty franchise has grown immensely over the years and is presently one of the largest video game properties in the industry, with the FPS games raking in countless millions throughout its history. One could argue there's never been a better game series to adapt into action films — and last year, it was confirmed that Activision is teaming up with Paramount to make one.

It was reported that Activision turned down an offer from Steven Spielberg to direct to retain full creative control over the film soon after, and then in late October, Yellowstone co-creator Taylor Sheridan and director Peter Berg were brought onto the project, with the pair co-writing and producing.

Beyond that, we know and have heard nothing else about the Call of Duty movie — until now, that is. On Thursday this week, Xbox and Activision officially announced the film's release date on social media, revealing that the Call of Duty movie is scheduled to come out on June 30, 2028.

That's unfortunate news for those who were hoping we'd see the hit military shooter franchise debut on the big screen earlier, though the far-off release date isn't a huge surprise given that the film's production only just got off the ground at the tail end of 2025.

Notably, the Call of Duty movie is hardly the first video game adaptation project that Microsoft and Xbox have worked on. Amazon's Fallout TV show has been a colossal success both critically and financially, and the Minecraft movie performed incredibly well, too.

Beyond those two standouts, we know Netflix is working on a Gears of War film with Jon Spaihts (Dune, Prometheus) writing the script and David Leitch (Deadpool 2, Bullet Train) directing. There was also the Halo TV show from Paramount, though that project was widely panned and canceled after two seasons.

The fact that Paramount is also working with Xbox and Activision on the Call of Duty film has some worried that it will end up being as disappointing as the Halo TV series. Personally, I'm choosing to be optimistic, as they're two completely different projects with different writers and producers.

As for what the movie will actually be about, we know nothing at the moment, though it's a safe bet that it will be a military-themed action film with plenty of "tacticool" guns, a moody plot, and a whole lot of explosions. It could adapt one of any Call of Duty stories set in the past, present, or future, or introduce a brand new one. Ultimately, only time will tell.

Are you excited to see what Activision and Paramount cook up for the Call of Duty movie, or are you not very interested in the project? I'd love to hear your thoughts, as video game adaptations have become a hot topic in recent years; please share them in the comments, and vote in our poll as well!

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Xbox and Activision's massively popular free-to-play battle royale shooter Call of Duty: Warzone is about to get one of its most highly anticipated additions with Black Ops Royale, a no-loadout mode heavily inspired by the Blackout mode from Black Ops 4. It's the biggest piece of content in Season 2: Reloaded, and it's only hours away from its global release.

What should be a time of feverish excitement and anticipation, however, has quickly become mired in controversy after the Call of Duty team announced that next week, it plans to test having bots play alongside players in Black Ops Royale lobbies in Europe and the Middle East.

This is similar to the Casual mode currently available for the standard Call of Duty: Warzone battle royale experience, which makes the majority of a match's occupants AI-controlled bots and only features a small amount of actual players.

"Over the past year, we’ve learned a lot from introducing bots through Casual experiences across Battle Royale and Resurgence. Those modes helped us better understand how to deliver the best gameplay experience in Call of Duty: Warzone across the player population," wrote the developers. "With the launch of Black Ops Royale in Season 02 Reloaded, we’re continuing to build on those learnings with a regional matchmaking test in the new mode."

The devs say "We will, as always, gauge success based on player data and player feedback" as and after the tests run, and also noted that the current Casual playlist for Warzone won't be available while bots are being tested in Black Ops Royale.

Since the option to play the Casual versions of Warzone attracts those who may not be very skilled at PvP or simply want a less stressful gameplay experience, the Call of Duty team likely wants to offer something similar with the new Black Ops Royale mode. However, the fact that bots are being tested in regular matches instead of in a separate playlist has angered many in the community.

At the time of writing, the post in which the developers announced their testing plans has been "ratioed" with a higher number of comments than likes, and the vast majority of them are harshly criticizing the upcoming test.

"PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD TAKE BOTS OUT THANK YOU," wrote TimTheTatman, one of the biggest streamers on Twitch. "The Warzone scene is cooked if/when this gets pushed to the entire game in all regions," said another content creator worried that this will be a slippery slope.

"Being forced to play against bots in a (previously) pure PvP environment takes so much away from the experience. Opting in to play with bots (casuals mode) is fine but forcing it is a big L," he continued.

Lots of competitive-minded players have rallied behind all of Warzone's big content creators complaining about the bot testing, and some even argue that the presence of any Casual-like offerings at all dilutes the experience and problematically splits up the player base. Others, though, assert that a Casual experience with bots is good for the game, and ensures everyone has a version of the game they'll enjoy.

Ultimately, I think making a Casual version of Black Ops Royale and keeping bots out of regular matches as the devs did with normal Warzone would be the best idea, so hopefully that's what Activision does after these tests run. Still, not testing bots in a separate playlist is a bold choice, and has stirred up quite a storm ahead of Black Ops Royale's launch.

🗨️ Do bots have a place in Black Ops Royale?

With many different Call of Duty fans weighing in, I'm curious to hear from you. Do bots have a place in Warzone's new Black Ops Royale mode, either in a separate Casual playlist or as part of the core experience?

Share your thoughts in the comments below, and make sure to vote in our poll:

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Since the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 in November, players have been able to soar by wingsuit over the map of Avalon in the campaign's Endgame, where they fought back against the Guild in a strictly PvE mode. With the next big update coming to Call of Duty: Warzone on March 12 at 9 AM PT/12 PM ET, that changes as players can grab their wingsuits and swoop into Avalon for a PvP Blackout-inspired battle royale experience that will be named Black Ops Royale.

Activision released a very dense deep dive of the new mode on the official Call of Duty blog, breaking down the changes players can expect when Black Ops Royale joins the Warzone roster as a playable mode.

Black Ops Royale is inspired by the original Blackout battle royale experience that originally launched for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. Unlike current Call of Duty: Warzone gameplay, Blackout did not allow players to purchase their preferred loadouts; there were no buy stations on the map, and players used a wingsuit to drop in as opposed to the parachutes we have seen since Warzone took over in 2020.

Those features will return along with additional changes to perks, the introduction of weapon archetypes, and the integration of Black Ops' C-Link HUD. For the first time since Black Ops 7's launch, the advanced tech available in modes like Endgame and Skirmish is also coming to Warzone — including the grapple hook, sensor dart, and trauma kit. These tools were previously left out of Black Ops 7's integration into standard Warzone with Season 1.

What is Black Ops Royale?

In addition to battling 100 other players to be the surviving squad, players will encounter multiple activities on Avalon that are optional for players to interact with. Players can hunt bounties, crack strongboxes, capture relays, and fight through Guild defenses for high-risk, high-reward squad play. Completing these tasks unlocks UAV sweeps, squadmate redeploys, and useful equipment to help with your survival.

Cradle Breaches will also be introduced to Black Ops Royale. Similar to the spread of the noxious red gas in Avalon on Endgame, some areas of the map in Black Ops Royale will also be shrouded in the Cradle's fumes, spawning hallucinated zombie hordes. As with activities, engaging with these breaches can put your squad at risk, but it also pays off with top-tier rewards should you be able to take down the Mangler boss.

Black Ops Royale is set to come to Call of Duty: Warzone alongside the launch of Season 2 Reloaded, which will also add new maps and modes to Multiplayer, new events like the Counter Skies Event starting March 17, new weapons and operator skins, and more.

Mid-season Reloaded updates do not introduce new battle passes, though there are premium pass tracks for event rewards if you're already done grinding through Season 2's battle pass. Season 2 Reloaded and Black Ops Royale will cap off the end of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's second season in April, when Season 3 will usher in the second half of Black Ops 7's post-launch lifespan.

🗨️ Will you dive into Black Ops Royale?

Call of Duty fans have been begging for a return to Blackout, but Warzone players have a death grip on Verdansk.

Are the changes going to be too much for Warzone, or will Black Ops Royale and Avalon flourish?

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 released back in November 2026, and whether you enjoyed it or not, it has consistently performed well on PlayStation and Xbox, according to Circana, which tracks playtime across platforms

The game has faced controversy both before and after launch, especially around its use of generative AI for in-game assets. However, that is not the focus here.

Instead, the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority has stepped in, claiming an advert for the game, which depicted airport security staff getting “frisky” with a member of the public, was “invasive.”

Why the ASA ruled the advert was irresponsible

Despite the game’s adult age rating, the ASA ruled that one of the “Replacer” adverts, titled Airport Security, depicted inappropriate themes. The campaign features comedian Nikki Glaser alongside Peter Stormare, who reprises his role as The Replacer across these promotions.

Nine viewers complained to the regulator, arguing that the advert trivialized sexual violence. While the authority acknowledged that no explicit imagery was shown, it took issue with the implication that a passenger required a deeper airport security search.

In the trailer, a man was told to remove his clothing while Glasser’s character put on a glove, suggesting an invasive internal search. The regulator concluded the scene portrayed a non-consensual and invasive procedure.

In its ruling, the ASA stated the humor was “generated by the humiliation and implied threat of painful, non-consensual penetration of the man.”

Although the man remained clothed throughout, the authority determined the overall tone trivialized sexual violence. It ruled the advert was “irresponsible and offensive.”

As a result, the advert “must not appear again in its current form.”

Activision’s response and broadcast context

Activision Blizzard UK Ltd defended the advert, arguing that it depicted a deliberately exaggerated scene and made the scenario a parody. It said the airport setting had no resemblance to real airport security procedures.

The company maintained that the humor referred to discomfort. It also argued that the advert did not sexualize the act of performing a search.

Before airing, the advertisement was reviewed and approved by Clearcast, which provides pre-clearance for television advertising. It was given an “ex-kids” timing restriction, meaning it was not broadcast during or near children’s programming.

The spot ran in November 2025 on YouTube and video platforms, as well as including television channels ITV and Channel 5.

According to the BBC, this is not the first time a Call of Duty advert has faced action. In 2012, an advert for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 received a daytime ban for depicting characters firing at a truck.

Two additional complaints were also raised about Black Ops 7, relating to alleged drug use. However, the ASA did not uphold that complaint.

You can still view the advert on YouTube if you so wish.

Over to you

Do you agree with the ASA’s decision to block the advert, or do you think it was clearly intended as parody for an adult audience? Let us know in the comments and make sure to take part in our poll below:

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I'll be real, walking into Blizzard's campus for the first time, I was as nervous as all hell. While I've interviewed people like Rod Fergusson and some of the Diablo 4 developers before, it's never been on their home turf and in the presence of all the weight of Blizzard's empire.

The campus itself left me awestruck (and yes, I took a photo of the Lilith statue). But what I was really there for, during a month's worth of celebrations for Blizzard's 35th Anniversary, was to sit down with Johanna Faries.

This year marks 2 years at Blizzard with Johanna at the helm, and it's a big year to be steering the ship. We've already seen huge announcements for flagship titles like World of Warcraft, Hearthstone and Overwatch (which has ceremoniously dropped the 2) with more to come later today from the franchise closest to my heart, Diablo.

This is, of course, just the beginning, with I'm sure some big news yet to come later this year at the return of Blizzcon.

I chatted to Johanna about how the studio is balancing its legendary past with a "bold" new future under the Microsoft umbrella.

"Meeting players where they are"

This is Windows Central, of course, so I had to lead my questions with the Xbox of it all. With Xbox pushing the Play Anywhere initiative harder than ever, I asked Faries about smoothing the seams between Battle.net and the wider Xbox ecosystem.

With Xbox pushing harder into the PC space, and their own work on the Xbox Full Screen Experience for handhelds, where does Battle.net fit in with these plans?

Faries was clear that Battle.net remains a "shining star" and a "premium" platform, but she emphasized that Blizzard’s strategy is becoming more nimble.

"Battlenet, as you probably already know, is a shining star of our Blizzard portfolio. It's something that we have deep passion for, and it's as much a community platform as it is a game platform in many ways. So I think what we want to make sure we do is continue to position Battle.net to be best in class.

We want it to be delivering PC experiences at the most premium level and making sure that we're meeting players where they are.

So, to the extent that we [Blizzard and Xbox] want to make sure we're dot-connecting, I think collaboration is always incredibly high across the Xbox team. And we're going to continue to share notes. We'll continue to share best practices and learnings. But, you know, I think in many ways, we want to stay focused on making sure that when Blizzard players come to Battlenet, they're getting the type of experience that they expect. That is, you know, exceeding their expectations and continuing to improve in that way."

She added that there is no '"one size fits all" approach anymore. "What might be right for one game or one game launch might be different than what we do from a distribution perspective or platform strategy for other parts of our portfolio. So we want to remain nimble and make sure that if players are expecting a type of experience from Blizzard, that it's world-class and that we're going to meet that moment appropriately."

Following this part of our chat, I prompted Faries more about potentially bringing more Blizzard games to Steam. Overwatch (formally known as Overwatch 2 is currently doing well on the platform, and Diablo 4 is a great Steam Deck game.

"It goes back to the focus on finding ways to meet players in the destinations of their choice, right? And so there's always going to be an active conversation across every one of our game launches.

Where do we want to show up? How do we make sure we show up in the right way? Right? So again, Steam has played a great role, as have so many other distribution partners for us. And so we're going to continue to just kind of be learners with respect to making sure that when we show up, we show up in the best way possible."

Surprise, since this interview. Diablo 2: Resurrected is now on Steam!

2026 is the comeback year for Blizzcon

While many developers have moved toward purely digital showcases, even Xbox itself has not put on a fan fest in quite some time.

Blizzard, in contrast, is leaning back into the physical world of fandom. BlizzCon is returning in 2026, and I told Johanna it felt like they were going all-in this year, particularly with all the hyped-up messaging. For Faries, the event is more than just a trailer showcase.

"Blizzcon is all about the community, and we think about that in a very intentional way. We want to make sure that we continue to bring forward what has been such a singular part of what makes Blizzard special. And Blizzcon is this gathering... it's this place for people to have those in-person experiences, whether it's because they're reuniting with their people or they're finding their new friends and forging new bonds that often are lifelong."

Given that Blizzard has had 2 years off from running Blizzcon, I asked what had been done in that time to make sure 2026 was a success? What would make Blizzcon an event that absolutely had to take place each year?

She noted that the downtime over the last few years was spent being very intentional about how the event returns.

"I think we've been taking a lot of time over the last couple of years to say when we come back, how do we make sure we come back in a way that celebrates the spirit of what Blizzcon has always represented for our community? While also making sure that it sets a tone for the future we're writing for ourselves here? And so I feel there's a sense of excitement about being able to shape this type of experience for so many people. And I do believe that we have a real passion for gathering in person and being able to lock arms as people who all just love Blizzard and want to continue to forge those bonds."

You'll notice that many of the announcements this month from Blizzard tease Blizzcon and more to come, so from a fan perspective, I'm confident this year will be one for the books.

This year also marks Xbox's 25th anniversary, I wondered if there was any coordination between the two going on behind the scenes to plan their celebrations and marketing?

"There's always this constant back-and-forth about how we calendar together. How do we think big about the big celebrations going on across all of the Xbox portfolio, right? And so it's awesome because we have a year chock full of special anniversaries. It's an honor to be a part of things that have stood the test of time in that way.

When we think about 35 years for Blizzard, it certainly encapsulates so much passion, so much creativity, so much boldness over decades, and it's something that we take really seriously. And at the same time, we've talked a lot about this moment being both a celebration of that legacy and a launching pad for a very bold future ahead. And so those are the conversations we have. How do we make sure that when we're celebrating together, it ladders up into something bigger?"

Bridging the generational gap

One of the most interesting parts of our conversation was how Blizzard handles it's intergenerational nature. Blizzard games inherently have a very millenial and older-skewed audience, many of which have been playing its games for 20 years or more.

There's a nostalgia embedded that keeps people coming back, but it also means a shaky balancing act between the expectations of old veteran players, and trying to bring in a new audience.

The Gen X/Alpha gang has very different expectations around monetization, progression, and the like. How, then, does Blizzard balance this?

"We have learned over and over again, how do you keep winning hearts and minds with bold new experiences? ... It's going to be predicated on making sure that we're delivering for the fans who have been with us and the players who've been in our games and created these communities with us for decades now, while also shaping the fans of the future, the players and the communities of the future."

"It requires this interdisciplinary way of working right? Be ahead of trends, set new trends, tell new stories, think out of the box in certain ways. But also... don't reinvent the wheel. So much of what I think our secret sauce has become is that we believe deeply that our IP, in many ways, is singular to all of entertainment. And when we continue to invest in these worlds and continue to deepen the content experiences in these universes, we find, more often than not, that players new and players long-lasting continue to want to come back and enjoy that right?

We're very excited about what's to come. This is just the beginning. In many ways, even the past couple of weeks of announcements are just the start of something we believe is quite bold and sets a tone for the future that we're shaping."

A perfect example of this is the studio's commitment to not just Diablo 4, but continuing the patch Diablo 2 and Diablo 3. New games don't mean the old audience are left behind. They also manage to serve the WoW Classic and retail crowds. Faries pointed out that continuing to update these games "will also bring in players who may have never experienced it before. This might be their first time... and it reshapes the dynamics within that community."

The relationship with Xbox is "highly empowered"

Since the acquistion of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft, there's been plenty of talk about Blizzard's identity and how the two companies work together side by side, with Blizzard still retaining its autonomy.

How does that look on a meaningful day-to-day basis? Faries described the day-to-day collaboration with Xbox as one defined by "agency" rather than oversight.

"It's highly empowered. I feel a lot of agency and support from our Xbox partners and collaborators, and more often than not, the questions are, 'How can we help? How can we support?' There's also this focus on communication. Let's just share. What are we learning together? What are we seeing? Are there places where we should connect dots? Are there places where we should be independent? But let's make sure that we're great communicators and collaborators, so that we're all kind of rowing in the same direction. But by and large, I feel a phenomenal amount of agency to be able to write our future for Blizzard and to operate as we need to."

Looking beyond the existing catalog, is there room for new IP?

While the current focus is clearly on deep-diving into the worlds of Diablo, Warcraft, Overwatch and Hearthstone this week, I asked Johanna if there was room in the next 35 years for something entirely new. A new IP for Blizzard.

"We're always going to think about, you know, what does it look like to win both with our existing IP and maybe into the future? ...we have this amazing portfolio, and we have really said we want to focus in the near term on making sure we continue to invest in these worlds. There's still so much territory we have to cover together. And yet, where do we want to be? 5, 10, 20, 35 years from now? And what are those bets need to look like so that we continue to, you know, stand tall within the industry."

When I asked if there was pressure for a new IP to "fit" the existing Blizzard art style or theme, she pointed directly to the caliber of the team.

"Great creatives offer up ideas maybe we never even thought of before, right? And so I find our role is to create the space for people to be able to think big and think about where do we want to go next... I'm not worried about how anything might fit together. It's really about making sure we're creating the spaces to feel empowered in doing so."

Beyond the games and lessons from Fallout

The success of the Fallout TV show has everyone asking when their favorite game is going to make it to the silver screen. It's clearly had a halo effect on the games too. I had to ask about Blizzard's ambitions for this. And yes, I’m still holding out for that Diablo Netflix show.

Faries confirmed that "exciting conversations" are happening, but the "Blizzard bar" remains incredibly high.

"We just want to be responsible with the IP, right? We want to make sure that if we bring anything forward, whether it's gameplay or whether it's beyond that, that it represents what we want it to signify. On behalf of Blizzard, it's got to be best in class... we have set the bar in many ways, in terms of creative excellence, and so that's really what we're going to focus in on."

Two years at the helm

As we wrapped up, I asked Johanna about her own journey. She has been with Blizzard for two years now, and I wanted to know what about her experiences has stood out during that time.

"It's gonna sound so corny and it is so honest. I mean it. I just every day I'm — I get to pinch myself and say, this is just a total blessing of a job and an opportunity. I get to work alongside the most special, talented, creative people across every discipline in entertainment that you can imagine. And so it's more about... it's very humbling to be a part of what we're trying to continue to shape."

She was candid about the fact that the industry isn't always easy, noting that there is "no one specific day" that stands above the rest because of the natural volatility of the business.

"There are highs, there's lows. That's gaming for you, right? But I think it's a real sense of pride and fulfillment to be able to do it with the types of people that I get to work with and learn from. There's a way that our teams show up in the world that I think is just very unique and special and inspiring to me, both as a player and as a professional. And so I — I can't think of one example. I'm just always reminding myself of that every day."

Of course, you can't lead Blizzard without being a fan yourself. When I asked if she had a particular affinity for one franchise, she admitted that her "diplomatic" answer is actually the truth: she plays virtually every Blizzard game out there.

"It really depends on my mood. It certainly depends on if we're in a big launch... but I'm deep in Diablo right now. But then you asked me next week I'll be deep in Overwatch. It just kind of depends... you have so many different sandboxes to play in."

I did give her one piece of advice: be careful with that Diablo obsession; you might find yourself walking out of a party with a new tattoo.

35 years of Blizzard... and counting

As Blizzard enters its 35th year and Diablo hits its 30th, the atmosphere on campus was electrifying to experience firsthand. "This moment is both a celebration of that legacy and a launching pad for a very bold future ahead," Johanna told me.

For those of us who have spent decades in Sanctuary or Azeroth, it’s clear that while the technology and the platforms might change, the "secret sauce" that Blizzard has isn't going anywhere. I meant it when I said Blizzard is going hard this year, and I can't wait to see what the next 35 years have in store for us.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

If you've been using an unapproved, third-party input modification tool in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 you may want to consider letting it go ahead of Season 2. Team RICOCHET, the developers responsible for Call of Duty's proprietary anti-cheat system, have revealed that changes are coming ahead of the launch of Black Ops 7's second season and the introduction of Ranked Play.

These changes are expected to specifically target players using Cronus Zen and XIM Matrix, among other unnamed third-party devices, that alter player input to create unfair advantages.

In a new post from Team RICOCHET on the Call of Duty blog, the anti-cheat specialty team declares that launching Ranked Play "with the strongest protections possible, so matches are decided by player skill, not exploits" as a top priority ahead of the February 5 launch Season 2.

Ranked Play has traditionally posed a problem for the Call of Duty franchise in that the mode has been a hot spot for cheaters who are clamoring for the top spot on leaderboards to unlock limited operator skins, camos, and — most importantly — bragging rights.

The use of third-party hardware like the Cronus Zen and XIM Matrix has long been a thorn in the developer's side when it comes to Call of Duty. These devices are widely available even at large box stores and other retailers, making it difficult for Activision to rely on its tried-and-true method of issuing cease and desists to cheat manufacturers.

Devices like the Cronus and XIM give PC players the ability to program in macros and other scripts that can eliminate gun recoil and exploit aim assist. The ability to modify the scripts that can be run on these devices have led some to argue that they are a useful accessibility tool that should be allowed, despite Activision's long-standing policy against them.

With the launch of Season 2, new methods of detection will be deployed with Call of Duty's anti-cheat system, RICOCHET, that focus on player input behavior. This is an improvement over previous detection methods, which searched for input devices alone. Details like input timing, consistency, and response patterns will allow the RICOCHET system to "distinguish between natural human play and machine modified input" according to Activision.

Unapproved input tools aren't the only cheat in RICOCHET's crosshairs. With the launch of Season 2, Call of Duty's PC playerbase can expect a cloud-based remote attestation system to roll out, as well. With the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 last November, Team RICOCHET pushed TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot requirements for PC players. The team reported that those anti-cheat measures were widely successful and are now doubling down on attestation measures to circumvent would-be cheaters.

However, TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot attestation could still be bypassed by determined cheaters at the system level. The new anti-cheat feature uses Microsoft Azure Attestation, a robust but fully remote and cloud-based attestation technology that counters tampering and verifies the integrity of a PC before a player ever launches into a match.

While most players won't need to make any changes to PC settings, Activision has released a Secure Attestation Wizard to help users confirm that their gaming system is ready to go when Season 2 kicks off this week.

How do you feel about RICOCHET targeting third-party hardware like the Cronus Zen and XIM Matrix? Do you think cloud-based attestation will prevent cheaters? Let us know in the comments and make sure to take part in our poll below:

As the end of 2025 draws near, everybody's social media timelines are flooded with end-of-the-year "wrapped" announcements. Activision's Team RICOCHET has one of its own this year, and it's a little different than you might expect. The anti-cheat has shared a 2025 Shutdowns Wrapped announcement that shares details on Ricochet anti-cheat efforts for the past year.

According to Team RICOCHET, more than 800,000 accounts have been permanently banned from Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and Call of Duty: Warzone due to the team's cheat mitigation and detection efforts.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's season one integration with Call of Duty: Warzone saw a flood of new hackers released into the popular first-person shooter franchise's lobbies after the game's proprietary anti-cheat system suffered from data outages and other issues.

That led Activision and the Call of Duty team to reprioritize plans for Black Ops 6's post-launch content to put more work into cheat mitigation efforts. Changes to cheat mitigation weren't just at the software level, as Activision's legal teams buckled down by sending cease and desists to disrupt the cheat business by targeting developers and resellers.

It has only been a month since Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 launched, but cheat disruption efforts are off to a strong start for this entry, as well. Activision has reported that 39 resellers have been disrupted so far, with 5 resellers and 3 primary vendors also shutting down operations to distribute Call of Duty cheats.

With the launch of Black Ops 7, Team RICOCHET would require Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 to launch the game. That cheat detection would expand to Call of Duty: Warzone with Season One integration into BO7.

Call of Duty's cheat disruptions have been widely successful due to the renewed vigor in detection, mitigation, and cessation. In the year following Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's launch, 295 resellers were disrupted in total, with 53 resellers shutting down cheat operations for good. The team also reports that 11 primary cheat vendors were also taken down.

Team RICOCHET has shared several updates on cheat disruption tactics since the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. According to reports, the new mitigation and detection tools led to a nearly cheat-free beta for BO7. The team has also been active on social media by replying to players who share videos of suspicious interactions to report when offending accounts are banned.

While the Shutdowns Wrapped is a celebration of Team RICOCHET's recent successes with anti-cheat efforts, it is not the end of the work that must be done to keep Call of Duty cheaters at bay. In the Season 1 progress report, Team RICOCHET shared additional plans to expand TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot requirements and the introduction of the Secure Attestation Wizard so that players can verify if their PCs meet the game's security and anti-cheat requirements.

"The goal is simple," wrote Team RICOCHET in a Call of Duty Blog post, "cleaner matches, faster detections, and a more secure foundation for every player."

Did the numbers surprise you, or does it feel like cheaters are still slipping through? Drop your thoughts below — especially if you’ve noticed improvements (or new problems) in Black Ops 7 this year. The anti‑cheat team says they’re making progress, but the real test is what players are experiencing in the wild.

Activision's yearly blockbuster once again topped the sales charts for its debut month in the U.S, according to Circana executive director and analyst Mat Piscatella, who shared the latest numbers in a threat on Bluesky.

Per Piscatella, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 was the best-selling game of November 2025 in the U.S, marking the 18th year in a row that a Call of Duty game has been the best-selling title of its launch month.

Even so, Black Ops 7 is down a "double-digit" percentage compared to Call of Duty: Black Ops in November 2024, and is currently the #7 best-selling game of the year.

It's also worth noting that this is the second year in a row that a new Call of Duty game has launched in Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscription tiers. Piscatella noted that subscription spending is up 16% for the month year-over-year, keeping with a trend that's been consistent throughout 2025.

Following in second place for the month is Electronic Arts' Battlefield 6, which remains the best-selling game of the year overall.

Hardware sales for the month were also down significantly year-over-year, while overall video game spending for the month reached $5.8 billion, down 4% year-over-year.

Below, you'll see the best-selling games of November 2025 and the year so far. As always, Circana tracks game sales through dollar amounts, not copies sold. Some publishers like Ubisoft do not share digital data, while others like Larian Studios don't share any data at all.

November 2025 Circana sales charts: Here are the top 20 best-selling games in the U.S.

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
2. Battlefield 6
3. NBA 2K26
4. Madden NFL 26
5. EA Sports FC 26
6. Pokémon Legends: Z-A*
7. Ghost of Yotei
8. EA Sports College Football 26
9. Minecraft****
10. Kirby Air Riders*
11. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment*
12. The Outer Worlds 2
13. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
14. Donkey Kong: Banaza*
15. Marvel's Spider-Man 2
16. Red Dead Redemption 2
17. Grand Theft Auto 5
18. Borderlands 4
19. Forza Horizon 5
20. Digimon Story: Time Stranger

November 2025 Circana sales charts: Here are the best-selling games of the year in the U.S.

1. Battlefield 6
2. NBA 2K26
3. Monster Hunter Wilds
4. Borderlands 4
5. EA Sports College Football 26
6. Madden NFL 26
7. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
8. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
9. The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
10. Ghost of Yotei
11. EA Sports FC 26
12. MLB The Show 25**
13. Elden Ring Nightreign
14. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
15. WWE 2K25
16. Minecraft****
17. Forza Horizon 5
18. Split Fiction
19. Helldivers 2
20. EA Sports MVP Bundle (2025)

*Denotes no digital sales data
**Denotes no digital sales data on Xbox or Nintendo Switch
****Denotes no digital sales data on Nintendo Switch

Where will Call of Duty be as the year closes?

I'll be absolutely fascinated to get the next round of numbers from Piscatella, as well as any other details on how Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 performed as 2025 draws to a close.

Earlier in the month, Activision published an update, confirming that the Call of Duty franchise will no longer see back-to-back entries in the Black Ops and Modern Warfare sub-series.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has been out barely over a month, but already the community is talking about next year's game. Widely expected to be Modern Warfare 4, since it's an Infinity Ward year, rumors are starting to fly.

It's never too early for a Call of Duty rumor, after all, we're already hearing that in 2027, Sledgehammer Games will be back in the hot seat with an all-new sub-franchise.

However, specifically to Modern Warfare 4, Infinity Ward, has very publicly hit back at this latest round of Internet chatter.

Obviously, nobody knows anything for sure until the game gets revealed. Is it even called Modern Warfare 4? Is it set in Korea, as rumors have said? Is it like the Modern Warfare 2 experience, as has recently been doing the rounds?

I'm not here to add credence to nor debunk these rumors. I don't know. Neither do you. The only people who know absolutely are the people building the game. But reading between the lines, there are a couple of angles you could take here.

The first is that the rumors are wrong, and the game is nothing like what's being talked about. Take it at face value.

The second, more skeptical angle, is that there's an element of damage control going on. With the discourse around Black Ops 7, much of which is skewing towards the negative, is Infinity Ward already trying to win folks back?

With that same skeptics hat on, you could look at this and say, "oh, well, maybe they've listened to what the community is saying, and they're going to make changes."

I'll admit, the idea of another Modern Warfare title doesn't get my blood pumping. I like Black Ops 7, just as I liked Black Ops 6 before it. The last two Black Ops titles brought me fully back to Call of Duty after losing some of my affection for the series through the likes of Modern Warfare 2 and 3, and Vanguard.

One thing I'm going to credit Infinity Ward for right now, though, is getting out there so early. Whether the rumors are true or not, the current state of the Call of Duty community means that communication is absolutely crucial.

It's bad enough that the next game is going to launch at a similar time to Grand Theft Auto 6. The engagement leading up to it is going to be more important than ever.

The year isn't quite over, but there's a small shake-up coming to the Xbox division's leadership next year.

Sources tell Windows Central that Tim Stuart, the chief financial officer (CFO) of Microsoft Gaming, will be stepping into a new role as chief operating officer (COO) of ZeniMax Media, the publisher responsible for Bethesda Softworks-published titles such as DOOM, The Elder Scrolls, and Fallout.

Replacing Stuart as overall CFO of Microsoft Gaming is Xavier Pokorzynsk, who currently works as corporate vice president of Microsoft Gaming. These changes are expected to be effective starting in January 2026.

This news comes after a strange year for Xbox and Microsoft Gaming as a whole. The company launched numerous critically-acclaimed games, several of which topped the sales charts in the U.S, including Bethesda Softworks' The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered.

At the same time, the company has also seen continued mass layoffs, with multiple games being cancelled and numerous developers being cut.

Earlier this year, a report from Bloomberg revealed that the Xbox division is being asked to hit a 30% "accountability" margin by Microsoft CFO Amy Hood, a number that is well in excess of the gaming industry's standard.

October also saw a number of changes rolled out to the company's Xbox Game Pass subscription service, with some new features being added alongside an eye-watering 50% price hike at the top tier.

Microsoft has also raised the prices on Xbox consoles in the U.S. twice this year, a move that does notably coincide with increasing production costs and uncertainty caused by the U.S. Trump administration's tariffs on many countries where components are sourced.

As a result, an Xbox Series X that cost $500 back in 2020 will now go for $650 at retailers.

It's still early days for Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, but the team is already making some eye-catching statements, with a new blog post confirming that, looking ahead for the Call of Duty franchise, there will no longer be any back-to-back game releases for Black Ops and Modern Warfare.

"The reasons are many, but the main one is to ensure we provide an absolutely unique experience each and every year," the blog post reads. "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."

Traditionally, the Call of Duty series has rotated, with different sub-series launching each year as development studios like Infinity Ward and Treyarch helmed new entries.

That changed in 2023, which saw the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, coming a year after Modern Warfare 2. This cycle repeated again in 2025, with Black Ops 7 launching hot on the heels of 2024's Black Ops 6.

Looking ahead, the Call of Duty team is offering a free trial of Black Ops 7 next week, while also noting that the developers are committed to "unprecedented" seasonal support, even as the team acknowledges unhappy player sentiment.

"Call of Duty has enjoyed long-standing success because of all of you, a passionate community that demands excellence and deserves nothing less," the blog reads. "We also know that for some of you, the Franchise has not met your expectations fully. To be very clear, we know what you expect and rest assured we will deliver, and overdeliver, on those expectations as we move forward."

Call of Duty faced increased competition and criticism this year

While the Call of Duty franchise is a yearly juggernaut usually only displaced on sales charts by Rockstar titles, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 faced far stronger competition than usual.

Electronic Arts launched Battlefield 6 earlier in October, with it quickly becoming the best-selling game of the year in the U.S, while the publisher claimed it was also the best-selling shooter of the year as a whole.

Black Ops 7 has also seen repeated criticism from players deriding the "slop" AI-generated artwork present in the game, something that began with Black Ops 6.

I'm curious to see just how the teams focus on addressing player feedback, as well as what the development rotation looks like in the future to avoid having back-to-back titles.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's latest pre-season patch is addressing disconnect concerns for the new Endgame mode. Players will no longer lose their operator's combat rating if disconnected while exploring the world of Avalon.

Endgame is an extraction-lite open world experience where players earn score toward a Combat Rating. Increasing your combat rating unlocks a perk choice that can help improve your character's survivability when you deploy into the fictional world of Avalon.

That survivability is vital, as failing to exfil from Endgame successfully results in losing your operator's CR and loadout, and starting over at 0 with your next deployment. Prior to this patch, players who were hit with disconnects because of server issues or other connectivity hiccups were at risk of losing their operator's progress, including high-level equipment needed to experience Endgame's riskier Tier IV zone.

The latest patch notes for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 now describe a snapshot feature that has been added to record a player's Combat Rating at the start of the match. Should players disconnect, progress made during their time in Avalon will be lost, but the Combat Rating they had at the start of the deployment will remain intact.

The Combat Rating snapshot will only protect players in the event of a disconnect. Failing to exfil or being eliminated by enemies will still result in your combat rating being dropped to zero and gear loss.

The Endgame mode was introduced with Black Ops 7 just two weeks ago as a final campaign mission featuring 32 players coming together cooperatively to experience the narrative ending. Access to the mode was locked by completion of the campaign.

However, the Black Ops 7 campaign proved to be divisive between critics and players, and completion numbers for the mode are shockingly low. Endgame has since been opened to all players, without the need to clear the campaign, first.

While I, in my Black Ops 7 review, found the campaign to be an intriguing take on shared psychosis within a military squad unit, others found it to be too far removed from the franchise's roots.

Xbox's achievement rarity system shows that only 1.5% of Call of Duty players have completed the first mission of the campaign in co-op, and a staggering 0.56% of Xbox players have made it to the final mission while playing in co-op.

Activision nor any of the team from Treyarch or Raven Software have confirmed that the negative sentiment surrounding the campaign led to the decision to remove the barrier to entry to the Endgame mode. In the patch notes, however, the team did state that it was "thrilled with the response" to Endgame.

Endgame features its own camo mastery track and collection of challenges for players to unlock, and progression in the mode is shared with the rest of the game.

Additional patch notes

While Endgame's disconnect protection was the highlight of recent patch notes, it's not the only bug to be squashed. A problematic Zombies bug that resulted in players crashing when interacting with the crafting table has also been resolved. This makes it safer to use your salvage for Scorestreaks, Mutant Injections, and equipment that can keep your squad alive.

Overlapping UI elements and issues with the prestige menu kicking players out of Progression Overview have also been patched as the game trudges toward its massive Season 1 update on December 4.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is available now on Xbox consoles, PlayStation consoles, and PC via Xbox PC, Steam, and Battle.net. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can launch into Black Ops 7 and experience the full game — including the co-op campaign, Endgame, multiplayer, and Zombies modes — as part of their subscription plan.

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I'm just going to come out and say it. Microsoft needs to step in and stop there being a new Call of Duty game every single year.

Of course, having spent an exorbitant sum of money on acquiring it alongside the rest of the Activision Blizzard King portfolio, it's going to want to reap the financial rewards as fast, but also as long as it can.

I get that. But Microsoft doesn't exactly have a good record in keeping average consumers happy of late, does it? Black Ops 7 coming a year after Black Ops 6 isn't necessarily a problem, but it's also not helping it stand out, either.

It needs to stop. I love Call of Duty, but I don't want Modern Warfare 4 next year. I want there to be a break, a proper reset, a chance for the franchise to get back on its feet.

The money may keep rolling in, but Microsoft is the custodian of one of the biggest selling video game series in history. If something doesn't change, I fear we'll reach a breaking point and irreparable damage will have been done.

Call of Duty fatigue is real

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, like its predecessor and several games before it, is going to play hard on the live service model. Game publishers love live service, because it's a constant stream of revenue. So long as people keep playing and keep buying things.

Call of Duty is also exhausting. I, like many others, relish a challenge, and embrace the grind, but it's overwhelming. In a few weeks, Season 01 will begin, a Battle Pass will appear, and the in-game events will start rolling around.

There's always something to do, which is great. But it's a lot. It can feel like a full-time job. I already have a full-time job.

There's also the fact that by the middle of this year, Black Ops 7 was getting talked about. It'll be the same next year when (we presume anyway) Modern Warfare 4 will start being teased. It's like a conveyor belt.

There's been a new Call of Duty every year now for as long as I can remember, but it's only more recently the games have leaned hard into live service. And this is what's adding to the exhaustion.

Warzone has been the apparent influence on everything, and it's starting to feel tiring. It's hard to really love any of these games anymore when it feels like you have no time with them before the next one is being pushed.

It's time for a break. Time for a reset. We don't NEED a new Call of Duty every year. We just don't. But at least the next two years it looks like we won't get one.

Live service means a game can live for longer

I'm looking at EA with the F1 series as an example, here. Sports titles are known for the yearly cycle, but instead of an F1 26, they're going to sell DLC with the new season's content, and return at a later date with a whole fresh new game.

The point is that Call of Duty is now firmly in the live service arena. Surely making one good game and supporting it for multiple years will keep bringing in the revenue?

The Black Ops 7 content is good, the maps are a significant improvement on last year, but honestly, did we really need it this year? It's not that different to Black Ops 6.

Maybe with more time between games, players wouldn't get so burned out, and the negativity might not be so widespread. Right now, I feel like Black Ops 7 is being panned unfairly because a lot of people are just tired of the franchise.

Live service doesn't have to mean a new game every 12 months.

Microsoft needs to stop counting coins and listen to the players

My colleague, Jez Corden, has previously written on the topic that Microsoft's CFO, Amy Hood, is mandating a 30% margin on the company's gaming divisions. While that might please shareholders and boost executive bonuses, it's out of touch with the rest of the industry.

Call of Duty is no doubts a major cash cow, but the problem is, it's going to end up causing harm that could be impossible to overturn. We already feel it. How many of us complained last year about the "Fortniteification" of Call of Duty with ludicrous skins and brand collaborations?

The difference is that Fortnite is a free to play game. Call of Duty is — Warzone aside — a premium, full-priced game that never stops trying to sell you more stuff.

Microsoft is atop all of this. Activision might be doing mostly its own thing, but the buck stops with the parent company. It's time to stop taking the players, the customers, for granted. I think that means stopping with the yearly cycle, among other things.

Have we seen any official numbers from Activision for how many people have played Black Ops 7? No. Endgame is, after a solitary week, being opened to everyone, no campaign clear required. None of the signs point to this having been the sort of launch Black Ops 6 had.

Heed the warning signs. The competition this year is hotter than ever with Battlefield 6, and players have real alternatives. What makes them come back?

It's time to lock in and start the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 grind. As I write this, it's not officially out in much of the world. Some of us took an early morning flight to New Zealand so we could play it early.

Obviously, we had the beta to get a feel for Black Ops 7, and features such as importing your settings from Black Ops 6 certainly don't hurt. But there are some new bits to figure out.

Wall Jump is back with Black Ops 7 as a new movement feature, and poking around in the game's settings, there's something you should definitely turn on to master it almost instantly.

Enable the automatic Wall Jump setting and never have to double jump again

The standard way of activating Wall Jump is to jump at a wall, then press jump again to leap up into the air.

By turning on the Wall Jump Assist setting, you don't have to do that. When enabled, all you have to do is jump at a wall, and it'll automatically do the second part for you.

Go to Settings, then over to Controller, select the Movement tab, and then scroll down until you find Wall Jump Assist.

You have three options when turned on, either just on, or for forwards or sideways movement only. Whichever you enable, when you complete the relevant motion towards a wall, you'll automatically Wall Jump.

If you're playing on mouse and keyboard, the setting is in the same location, but under Mouse and Keyboard in Settings, instead.

Activating Wall Jump isn't difficult, but using Wall Jump Assist takes an extra button press out of the equation. If it's there, why not use it to make life easier.

You should remember, though, it'll work on everything you can bounce off. Wall Jump isn't exclusive to just walls. But give it a try and see what works for you.

FAQ

It's been a long time coming, but BlizzCon will at long last return on September 12, 2026, at the Anaheim Convention Center in California.

To get fans hyped for the event ahead of time, Blizzard Entertainment is announcing that, for the first time ever, it will be selling early bird tickets for the event.

This will allow players to claim a spot on BlizzCon for a cheaper rate than regular tickets, and get in on the latest announcements on all Blizzard Entertainment-related games and partake in dozens of fun activities. The key art also contains imagery representing StarCraft ... could we finally be getting StarCraft 3? Or the long-rumored StarCraft third-person shooter?!

Here's all the info on these ticket prices and what's in store for BlizzCon 2026.

Tickets, BlizzCon Pass, and Add-on Experiences

The early bird tickets will cost $249.00 USD each and will be available to purchase on Tixr from November 7, 2025, 9:00 am PST, to November 9, 2025, 11:59 pm PST (or ticket supplies run out before then).

If you miss out on the early bird tickets, the standard tickets will become available on November 18, 2025, at 9:00 am PST, at Tixr for $289.99 USD each, all in, until ticket supplies run out.

These tickets are two-day passes that will allow attendees access to BlizzCon's facilities, including all Halls and Arena during show hours between September 12-13, 2026, and acquire in-game items and BlizzCon exclusive merchandise.

Add-on experience Tickets

On top of that, Blizzard will be offering special add-on experience tickets.

The first is for the BlizzCon Charity Night event for $499.99 USD all-in, while tickets last. This is a special event where Blizzard Entertainment, in partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, gets together with various artists, developers, and community representatives to raise money in order to make critically ill children's wishes come true.

Acquiring this add-on will net you access to this event along with a reserved seat section for BlizzCon's Opening Ceremony, a signed piece of Blizzard Entertainment artwork, and a collectible credential.

Do note that all proceeds of this add-on will be donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, lest there are any chargebacks or refunds.

The other Add-on Experience ticket Blizzard Entertainment is offering for the Darkmoon Faire After Hours event, where attendees can extend their stay for BlizzCon's iconic Darkmoon Faire event to further partake in its fun carnival-like activities and win exclusive goodies.

In addition, this add-on ticket will grant attendees access to an exclusive three-hour show on September 12, 2026, the BlizzCon Store, 20 Faire Tokens, and a collectible credential.

The Darkmoon Faire After Hours Add-On Experience tickets will cost $89.99 USD all-in, while their supplies last.

What can we expect at BlizzCon 2026?

Blizzard Entertainment will be pulling out all the stops for this year's BlizzCon with all kinds of activities long-time fans will be familiar with, along with new ones, which include:

• BlizzCon's Opening Ceremony, where Blizzard Entertainment will showcase the latest grand reveal trailers for its popular franchises, including World of Warcraft, Overwatch 2, Heathstone, and Diablo.
• The show floor, where attendees can play World of Warcraft, Diablo IV, Overwatch 2, Hearthstone, and Diablo Immortal.
• The Blizzard Arcade, where attendees can play past Blizzard Entertainment titles like Heroes of the Storm, StarCraft, and much more.
• Developer panels where attendees can learn behind-the-scenes information on Blizzard Entertainment's developmental processes, which will take place on the Main Stage and multiple stages throughout the convention, including the new Classic Stage located at the Blizzard Arcade.
• Community Night, where fans showcase their art and take part in cosplay competitions.
• There will be
• Esports events like the Overwatch World Cup, World of Warcraft Arena World Championship, World of Warcraft Mythic Dungeon International, Hearthstone Masters Tour World Championship, and the new Blizzard Classic Cup will be hosted at BlizzCon.
• The BlizzCon Store, where attendees can buy game-related merchandise and other souvenirs.
• The Hearthstone Tavern, where attendees can socialize with friends, play esports games, or watch a panel on the Tavern’s new Content Stage.
• A March of the Murlocs centered around Warcraft's loveable fish monsters.
• The Inclusion Nexus, where attendees can chat with Blizzard Entertainment developers or members of its games' communities.
• Contacting Blizzard Entertainment's hiring teams for personalized portfolio and resume reviews, engaging panels, and exclusive networking opportunities in hopes of one day starting a career in the video game industry.

Are you ready to return to BlizzCon in 2026?

With Microsoft's acquisition of Blizzard Entertainment, many fans were scared that the event would be cancelled in favor of announcing game news at Microsoft-centric events like Xbox Games Showcase or Summer Game Fest.

BlizzCon's last show was in 2023, and it was cancelled in 2024, so fans had plenty of reasons to be fearful.

Thankfully, BlizzCon has managed to outlive E3 and will return in 2026 to no doubt give more news on the future of Overwatch 2, Diablo IV, and, of course, World of Warcraft's Midnight expansion.

I've never attended BlizzCon myself, but I'm always impressed by the dedication and love that fans show off at this event, whether it's for cosplay or esports contests.

So, I can't wait to see what Blizzard Entertainment and its fans have in store for us next year when BlizzCon goes live on September 12, 2026.

FAQ

Publisher Electronic Arts' (EA) latest first-person shooter Battlefield 6 launched back on October 10, and since it arrived, it's been putting up some pretty impressive numbers, with the game selling over 7 million copies in its first three days.

Since then, Circana executive director Mat Piscatella has shared updates on the most-played games in the U.S on a weekly basis. For the week ending October 25, Battlefield 6 continued to hold strong as the most-played game on Steam, ranking at the #6 and #7 spots on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 consoles, respectively.

It's a strong hold, but notably, despite the fervor around Activision's Call of Duty and Battlefield going head-to-head this year, Call of Duty HQ retained its place as the #2 game on Xbox and PlayStation, with no decrease to the existing playerbase that can be seen.

Now, there are some important details to keep in mind. Call of Duty HQ includes last year's Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 as well as the free-to-play Battle Royale, Call of Duty: Warzone.

This unified launcher used to include even more games, but Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Modern Warfare 3 were both de-coupled from it back in July.

Another large caveat here is that this doesn't include the launch of REDSEC, the free-to-play Battle Royale mode for Battlefield 6 that launched on October 28. REDSEC has seen mixed reactions from players so far, but it also drove Battlefield 6 to some high concurrent numbers on Steam, with over 500,000 players online at once.

Finally, Call of Duty is still available on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 (even if performance and image quality aren't great) while Battlefield 6 is locked to the latest generation of console hardware.

With all of that in mind, it'll be fascinating to see where Battlefield 6 ranks once REDSEC is included. It'll also be interesting to see just what happens with the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, with the Treyarch and Raven-led game set to launch on Nov. 14, 2025.

Black Ops 6 managed to become the best-selling game of 2024 in the U.S. despite also being included in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Will Black Ops 7 become the best-selling game of 2025 in the U.S? We'll have to wait and see.

Personally, I'm happy to see some real competition between the two, and players are better off with both series thriving and the developers reacting quickly to feedback.

FAQ

We've got a better idea of the creative forces leading the upcoming Call of Duty movie from Activision and Paramount. Peter Berg will be directing, writing, and producing the film, while Taylor Sheridan will be writing and producing.

This news comes via a report that was first broken by Deadline before being confirmed by Activision directly. Berg and Sheridan previously collaborated on the 2016 film Hell or High Water, as well the 2017 movie Wind River.

Sheridan has contributed to numerous projects over the years, including writing for the movie Sicario and more recently creating the Paramount series Yellowstone, alongside its numerous spin-off shows.

Berg previously directed movies like Hancock, Lone Survivor, and Deepwater Horizon, as well as the 2025 Netflix series American Primeval.

Activision and Paramount announced a deal to develop a Call of Duty movie back in September, with Paramount CEO David Ellison describing the film as a passion project. Shortly afterward, a report indicated that Activision had turned down a pitch from acclaimed director Steven Spielberg.

The Sicario connection

Having Taylor Sheridan working as a writer on this film is particularly interesting, as his experience working on Sicario makes him well-suited to the role.

The Modern Warfare sub-series of Call of Duty games that was rebooted in 2019 drew on Sicario for influence, particularly for the second entry, the Infinity Ward-led Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2023).

I'll be curious to see if this film deals with similar ideas and tone. If it does, will the team try to directly adapt the events of one of the games, or instead aim to tell an original story set in the same universe? I'd prefer the latter personally, but I'm open to either possibility.

As for the games, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is slated to launch on Nov. 14, 2025, with Treyarch and Raven once again pairing up for a sequel to the events of 2012's Black Ops 2. David Mason returns alongside a co-op campaign, bigger Zombies mode, and more.

More and more Xbox properties are being adapted to movies or TV

This news comes as Microsoft has found a fair a bit of success with different Xbox properties across TV and film in recent years. A Minecraft Movie launched in theaters and reached $957 million at the box office, making it the second-biggest video game film adapted from a video game ever, only behind The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

Meanwhile, the Fallout TV series exploded on Prime Video, reaching over 100 million viewers, and a second season is set to premiere on Dec. 17, 2025. Some of the creative team behind that series are also reportedly working on a Wolfenstein TV series for Prime Video, which will adapt MachineGames' rebooted series where the world has been overrun by Nazis.

Looking ahead, a Gears of War movie is in development at Netflix, with director David Leitch (Bullet Train, The Fall Guy) working on the script for the film alongside his wife Kelly McCormick and writer Jon Spaihts (Prometheus, Dune).

A Gears of War animated series is also planned for Netflix, though there's been little news for that project since it was first announced alongside the movie.

FAQ

For those who don’t know, Glen Schofield worked at Sledgehammer Games and was a co-director on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2011), as well as game director on Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2014) and Call of Duty: WWII (2017). His experience extends far beyond the franchise, having also served as executive producer on Dead Space (2008). It’s an impressive portfolio regardless of how you feel about the current state of Call of Duty, a series Schofield is now openly worried about under Xbox’s ownership.

At Gamescom Asia in Bangkok, Thailand, Schofield spoke with Video Games Chronicle following a keynote where he shared his ideas for “saving” the games industry. During the interview, he elaborated on his views about the future of Call of Duty and broader industry challenges. Let’s dive into what he said, and whether his concerns hold weight or if it’s simply worry for nothing.

The context: What Schofield actually said about Call of Duty under Xbox

In his interview with Video Game Chronicle, Schofield laments that he worries about Call of Duty. When asked what challenges the franchise might face now that it’s under a mega corporation like Microsoft, he said:

Interestingly, he mentions both Gears and Halo, and a lot can be said about how both of those franchises are no longer what they once were. In Halo’s case, especially, it has admittedly done little but fumble since 343 Industries took over. Still, with the recent restructuring of Halo Studios, the future seems at least somewhat hopeful for now, despite the departure of their art director, who left a cryptic message upon departure.

That said, I don’t think it’s fair to compare Call of Duty to either of those series. While concerns around how Microsoft conducts its business are valid, it often feels like it would sell anything if it meant more money toward AI.

Call of Duty has struggled with a lack of identity for years, from out-of-place cosmetic skins to a constant push toward monetization. Players buy a full-priced game, then face another paywall with a battle pass and an endless stream of microtransactions the moment they load in. The issues with Call of Duty clearly run deeper than anything Microsoft has had a hand in so far.

Call of Duty needs breathing room, not another release cycle

I do agree with Schofield that Call of Duty needs to slow down its release cycle. Right now, none of the games have room to grow, as updates and features are likely pushed to the next title. It’s especially noticeable with Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, following directly after last year’s Black Ops 6.

Schofield goes on in the interview to say:

If you’re like me, Modern Warfare 3 in 2011 was one of the standout entries in the series. I’ll admit I’ve always leaned more toward Zombies, so Black Ops 3 remains my favorite, but it’s easy to see the contrast between what Call of Duty was then and what it has become now.

We can only hope Activision locks in and rediscovers that spark. It seems like that might happen in Black Ops 7, as they are listening to player feedback. Although it’s hard not to think that renewed effort has something to do with the pressure from Battlefield 6, which just launched to 7 million copies sold within its first three days.

In some ways, it feels more like, instead of Activision becoming Microsoft, it feels more lately like Microsoft has become Activision, with little regard for fans, leaving people like me and you to feel like nothing more than numbers on a spreadsheet. It’s a stark contrast from when Phil Spencer first took on the mantle at Xbox, where community and fans seemed like the focal point, to now, where Satya Nadella and Amy Hood are increasingly more involved.

It’s a big day for Diablo fans, whether you’ve been a steadfast player through every season up to the current one (10) or took a break along the way. I fall into the latter camp myself — I haven’t played since Season 7 after some burnout set in, largely due to the game’s new Reliquary battle pass system. Today, however, Diablo 4 is holding its regular Campfire Chat, a developer stream centered on the next season’s PTR, but this one carries extra weight. It’s focused on something Blizzard has been teasing for months now: a massive systems overhaul dubbed by many as Loot 3.0.

Rather than broadcasting the changes on Blizzard's own channels, the Diablo team chose to deliver the news via an interview with Rhykker, arguably the biggest personality and streamer in the Diablo community.

While Season 10 has actually been well-received among the player base, many are calling this next update something of a “judgment day” for Diablo 4. It promises sweeping gameplay changes that the community has been requesting since the game’s launch. The big question is — will it be enough to bring back prodigal players like me, and others who’ve drifted away, into the fray once more? The update introduces permanent changes to core systems like itemization, monster combat, and progression, and, more importantly, brings back leaderboards! Here’s everything we know so far about the upcoming Public Test Realm (PTR) for Season 11.

The return of the Lesser Evils

Sanctuary is to be invaded by the Lesser Evils; we've already got Andariel, Duriel, and Belial back in the game, but Diablo 3 fans will be overjoyed to see the return of Azmodan (let's hope they include all his cringy voicelines too).

Azmodan will be the first new World Boss added to the game since launch. Each of the lesser evils now invades a different game activity in their quest to "take over Sanctuary".

• Duriel infects Helltide with new maggot-themed horrors and summonable Pangs of Duriel.
• Belial twists The Pit, creating illusions and clone enemies, and can replace the final boss entirely.
• Andariel haunts the Kurast Undercity, spawning shades, cursed beacons, and deadly afflictions.
• Azmodan appears as a roaming World Boss which is a permanent addition to the game, but he will also have a seperate seasonal activity in Hawezar.

Defeating these foes grants Corrupted Essences, used to unlock new celestial rewards tied to each demon.

The developers also specified in the interview that Duriel specifically will be replacing the Blood Maiden in the Helltide.

Earn Divine Gifts from the High Heavens in Season 11

To balance the demonic chaos, the archangel Hadriel, who fans will recognise from Diablo 2, bestows Divine Gifts. This is a new layer of boons that enhance loot and gameplay and are given in return for killing the Lesser Evils.

Each Gift can be “Purified” or “Corrupted,” offering a choice between risk and reward. Purified Gifts make the game easier and double rewards. Corrupted Gifts make encounters harder but still yield bonuses.

This mode has been inspired by the profane mindcages from previous seasons that allowed players to tinker with the difficulty and pace.

As you slay each Lesser Evil, you’ll earn unique Essences that unlock themed Gifts —like faster potion refills from Duriel or extra gold from Belial’s domain.

At this point, Rhykker pressed the team on their thoughts on adding "new powers" to Diablo 4, something that's been criticized as a repeated theme of past seasons. The developers were quick to ascertain that while the interface of this system is similar to prior seasons, the approach here is different. "We're trying to get away from the stuff we have done in the past....it's not seasonal powers it's seasonal gifts." "People want to see more variety in seasons."

Complete overhaul for Tempering and Masterworking (the real Loot 3.0 update)

Tempering and Masterworking were added to the game in Season 4 in the last big loot shake up for Diablo 4, and this is the biggest change we have seen to those crafting processes.

They have been reworked following community feedback, and you'll be glad to know you'll no longer be able to completely brick a perfect item from Tempering. Hurrah! Here's all the changing coming to Tempering and Masterworking:

• Tempering now lets you choose the exact affix from a recipe. No more relying on RNJesus.
• Each item can only have one tempered affix, but you can restore Tempering Charges indefinitely.
• Masterworking no longer buffs affixes directly. Instead, it improves a new stat, 'Quality', which will directly impact item damage, armor, or resistances.
• Once maxed at Quality 20, you can add a Capstone bonus, converting one normal affix into a Greater Affix.
• Non-unique items now roll four base affixes instead of three.

The best news of this section was that Masterworking no longer has to be completely reset if you don't get the max roll you want, on the stat you want. This system promises far more control over your perfect build, without endless random rolls.

There will still be a cost associated with these rolls, and the team is working on what this will be.

Sanctification, Angelic power for your gear

A new endgame crafting mechanic lets you Sanctify your favorite item at the Heavenly Anvil, infusing it with angelic power.

Sanctification can:

• Add a bonus Legendary power
• Upgrade an affix into a Greater Affix
• Make an item completely indestructible

But there’s a catch. Once Sanctified, the item can’t be modified again. It’s your item's final, perfect form.

There will be a consumable required to Sanctify your items, called Heavenly Sigils, drops will come from various game activities.

Monster Combat "evolved"

Enemy behavior is getting smarter, so expect monsters encounters to be more dynamic in-game.

• Monsters will now coordinate attacks and adapt mid-fight.
• Over 20 new elite affixes have been added.
• Champion enemies now spawn as packs, and elites can bring empowered minions.

Expect fights to feel more dangerous and unpredictable across all of Sanctuary. The developers described this change as "adding a meaningful spike in difficulty" to the game with improved AI.

Defense, Healing, and Renown reworked

Blizzard is rethinking how survival works with a new Toughness stat, which summarizes your total reduction from Armor and Resistances. You should be able to look at this number and get a better "general idea of how tanky you are."

Armor and Resistance no longer have a cap, but as the number goes up there will be diminishing returns.

Other key changes:

• Armor now mitigates all damage types, not just physical.
• Potions now instantly heal 35% of your HP (and slowly recharge every 30 seconds).
• Fortify becomes a healing-over-time buffer rather than a static damage reduction.
• Renown in Seasonal play is being replaced by a Season Rank system — complete Capstones and objectives to earn skill points, cosmetics, and more.

The Tower & Leaderboards (Beta)

A new timed dungeon, The Tower, is being added to test your mastery of Diablo 4. This is where you go to test how far you have come from zero to hero.

• Complete as many floors as possible within 10 minutes to earn leaderboard rankings.
• Each run features randomized layouts, new enemy tactics, and powerful temporary buffs from Pylons.
• Global Leaderboards return for the first time in Diablo 4 with categories by class, party size, and mode (Hardcore/Normal).

All players across platforms will be represented on the leaderboard but you can filter down to PC/console and even just to see where your friends come up in the rankings. The system is in Beta for PTR but will expand across future seasons.

Return of Capstone Dungeons

Capstone dungeons used to be where you headed when you were ready to try for the next world difficulty in Diablo 4, these were removed and replaced by fighting levels in The Pit to unlock new difficulties.

With Season 11, we see the return of the Capstone Dungeons, some of which will rotate depending on each seasonal activity.

This is also linked to a change in how Seasons are progressed. You will need to complete Capstone Dungeons as part of Seasonal ranks. They are not bound to your character level or difficulty so you can walk in at level 1, or level 30 depending on how brave you are feeling!

In short...

PTR 2.5.0 is the biggest shake-up Diablo 4 has seen since the Loot 2.0 update in Season 4. With a total loot overhaul, smarter combat, new endgame systems, and the long-awaited Leaderboards. That's not all either, as in the Q and A at the end of the steam Blizzard teased more changes to come beyond the next season. "We're cooking a lot of really exciting stuff. There are things that we are aware of and that we are working very hard on that we're going to showcase soon."

Whether you’ve been grinding since launch or haven’t logged in since Season 7 like me, this update could finally be the one that makes Diablo 4 feel complete.

When is Diablo 4 Season 11 PTR and how do I play?

Diablo 4 PTR for patch 2.5.0 and Season 11 runs from will be available from October 21, 10:30 a.m. PDT to October 28, 11 a.m. PDT.

You'll need to own Diablo 4 or have Xbox Game Pass and be using a PC to access the Diablo 4 PTR. It's not currently available for console users.

1. Open the Battle.net launcher.
2. Navigate to Diablo 4.
3. In the bottom left corner, select the dropdown and you'll find Public Test Realm.
4. Click Install.
5. Click Play and select a test server.
6. Create a test character (create a Seasonal one for anything related to the Seasonal themes)
7. Skip Campaign if you started anew.

If you are an Xbox Game Pass player on PC, you can access the PTR through the Xbox app and follow the same steps above, all from December 3 - 10.

If you've wanted to check out Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, but you haven't been willing to buy it or subscribe to the most expensive tiers of Xbox Game Pass, there's great news. A limited-time free trial is live now, meaning you can jump in and play at no cost.

This free trial kicked off on Thursday, and is slated to run all the way through October 16, meaning you've got a week from the time I'm writing this.

What is most notable about this free trial is that it's not limited to just the multiplayer, or even multiplayer in addition to Zombies. The entire Campaign mode is also included, so you can play it for free and easily complete the entire thing in the allotted time for the free trial.

Even if you're not interested in the other modes, the campaign is well worth playing, and while there are criticisms to be had, it's easily the best campaign for the series in years. A large portion of that stems from its development, as the team had four years to make it, unlike the three-or-less cycle that most of the series is currently on.

There are numerous different types of missions, with immersive sim-lite infiltration mixed with psychological horror across a story with some wild twists and turns. If you enjoy single-player first-person shooters, I highly recommend checking it out.

The free trial is available on all platforms, so you can check it out on Xbox, PlayStation, or PC (via Battle.net or Steam).

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is almost here

Of course, Call of Duty is still on a yearly release cycle, and the next game in the series is set to launch in a few weeks. This time, it's a back-to-back sequel, with developers Treyarch and Raven returning to helm Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.

Don't let the name fool you, though, as this game isn't a direct follow-up to the events of Black Ops 6's story. Instead, it returns to protagonist David Mason from 2012's Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, with a story that's being described as "mind-bending" and is set in the year 2035.

The campaign does support co-op, meaning players can hop in with a friend or three, something that hasn't been frequently seen in the franchise. In fact, it hasn't been seen at all in a decade, not since 2015's Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, which was also led by Treyarch.

In addition to this campaign, Zombies and multiplayer return. Treyarch has noticeably been responding to player feedback at an aggressive cadence, confirming that it would tone down some of the more outlandish Operator skins to better suit the series' tone, while also announcing on Thursday that Black Ops 7 would launch with skill-based matchmaking significantly dialed back from prior iterations.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is slated to launch across Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC (Battle.net, Steam, and Xbox on PC), PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4. As with all Xbox first-party games, it'll be available at launch in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

We are less than two months from the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, the latest entry in Activision's long-running, hard-hitting, military First-Person Shooter franchise.

To give players an incentive to pre-ordering the game, Activision is hosting an early-access period for its Open Beta Test which include multiplayer mode and Zombies mode.

However, it's not a small price to pay as Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has an enormous retail price $69.99. Thankfully, Newegg has come to lighten the toll as it is offering an exclusive 10% discount promo code for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, which will take its MSRP to $59.99 upon use.

Newegg is also offering a 10% promo code for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's Vault Edition, taking its even higher price tag of $99.99 down to $89.99, so players can get a hold of its additional content for a cheaper price.

Why should I pre-order Call of Duty: Black Ops 7?

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is the latest entry in Call of Duty's popular 'Black Ops' sub-series.

Unlike the mainline Call of Duty series, which focuses on slower-paced, tactical gameplay, the Black Ops games are fast-paced, arcadey shooters where you blitz through condensed multiplayer maps to wipe out enemies as quickly as possible.

In addition, the Black Ops series features single-player campaigns where you play as covert Black Ops agents instead of Special Forces units that usually involve epic cinematic adventures filled with espionage action.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 aims to take this formula and evolve it by incorporating dozens of new advanced weaponry that players can customize, the ability to summon drones and mechs into battle, next-level omnimovement mechanics, loads of complex maps to battle in, and much more.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's campaign mode is also looking to be an evolution from previous games, both in story scope and content, as it can be played either solo or with friends in 4-player co-op.

The story is set in 2035, and the world has been ravaged by never-ending wars filled with psychological warfare.

You play as part of an elite JSOC team sent on a mission to infiltrate the Mediterranean city of Avalon to uncover a sinister conspiracy that could spell doom for all if it isn't stopped.

This is easier said than said, as not only will your team have to confront hardened enemy soldiers and killer robots, but also their tragic, traumatic pasts.

Another staple of the Black Ops series that will be returning in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is Zombies mode. Zombies mode is a co-op horde mode where 4 players must band together to fend off waves of the undead.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's take on the series' Zombies mode is looking to be the craziest one yet.

Zombies mode will feature a story-driven campaign called Ashes of the Dead, new types of zombies to fight, like a giant zombie bear, insane new weapons for players to use in battle, a heavily armored truck for players to ride in, nicknamed 'Tessie', and much more.

With all these advanced new gameplay features and an epic campaign, this game quickly became one of the most anticipated Xbox/PC titles of 2025.

If you're a fan of the Call of Duty franchise, chomping at the bit to get your hands on Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, and can't wait for its November 14, 2025, release date, Activision is planning to whet your appetite.

Between 10:00 AM PT / 1:00 PM ET, October 5, 2025, and 10:00 AM PT / 1:00 PM ET, October 8, 2025, there will be an Open Beta Test available for the general public, where players can experience the game's multiplayer mode and Zombies mode.

If you pre-order the game or subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, you can get early access to the Beta Test on October 2, 2025, for 72 hours.

Going the pre-order route for this early-access Beta test will be a tall order, as Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has an MSRP of $69.99. Thankfully, the fine folks at Newegg have an exclusive, limited-time discount promo code that will reduce it to a more affordable price tag of $59.99.

If you have extra money to spend and fancy getting some DLC items, Newegg is also offering a 10% promo code for the Vault Edition of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, which will take its staggering MSRP down from $99.99 to $89.99.

The Vault Edition includes the base game along with several DLC packs, which contain a Battle Pass for Season (with 20 Tier Skips, 1,000 CP, and more), four Operator cosmetic skins for Harper, Karma, T.E.D.D., and Reaper EWR-3, five Masterwork Weapons, and eight Ultra Rarity GobbleGums.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is scheduled to be released on November 14, 2025, for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC via Windows and Steam.

Microsoft closed its deal for Activision-Blizzard a couple of years ago, and Xbox Game Pass users have reaped many benefits since.

Call of Duty is now officially part of the Xbox Game Pass line-up, fulfilling promises Microsoft made to both fans and regulators as an example of its pro-consumer commitment to the merger. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs $19.99 per month, and nets you day one access to all new Activision, Bethesda, and Xbox Games Studios titles. However, some fans aren't satisfied.

Why? Microsoft previously implied that the plan was to bring all Activision-Blizzard titles to Xbox Game Pass — depending on how you interpret the comments. Either way, they were ambiguous enough to have set lots of expectations about the potential here, and so far, we've only really had a drip feed of content here and there, rather than a full flood.

So, what games are missing, what exactly did Xbox say about it, and why has it been so slow? Let's analyse what we know.

What did Microsoft say about Activision games coming to Game Pass?

Microsoft itself raised expectations around Activision titles coming to Xbox Game Pass. In a 2022 blog post penned by Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, the firm positioned the Activision-Blizzard-King acquisition as one that would improve access to Activision's rather pricey back catalog, citing games like Diablo, Call of Duty, and Overwatch.

"Subscription services like Game Pass make gaming more affordable and help players from all over the world find their next favorite game. Game Pass empowers developers to bring more games to more players, not fewer. We intend to make Activision Blizzard’s much-loved library of games – including Overwatch, Diablo and Call of Duty – available in Game Pass and to grow those gaming communities."

Microsoft reiterated this commitment in a 2024 blog post when it dropped Diablo IV into Game Pass, stating, "There will be even more to play as we begin to fulfill our commitment to offer Activision and Blizzard games with Game Pass, both new releases and classic games from its legendary catalog. We’re excited to bring more of the biggest games to our 34M XGP subscribers."

Since then, Microsoft has added a decent offering of titles from Activision and Blizzard. We have the classic Warcraft and StarCraft games, Diablo III and IV, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, and Tony Hawk titles. There's also four Call of Duty titles in the service, and perks for free-to-play titles like Overwatch 2, CoD: Warzone, and Heroes of the Storm. The acquisition also solved long-standing publishing issues for titles like Hexen, freeing them up to finally get ports to modern platforms.

But, the offering truly pales in comparison to Activision's full back catalog, as you can see below.

The list of missing Microsoft-owned games is extensive

As compiled by X user Crusader3456, the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet is incredibly large, and yet still isn't truly exhaustive. Activision's extensive back catalog runs all the way back to the 80s, and many of those retro titles have been making their way across to cloud-based platform Antstream Arcade, included free via Xbox Game Pass as part of an app called Xbox Retro Classics. This list mainly covers Xbox 360 games and up.

The list also includes some titles from Bethesda and Microsoft itself that never made their way across, although many are still being compiled. If there's a game you're particularly interested in seeing make the list, hit the comments.

Hit the link above to expand to the full table, or head here for a deeper breakdown on Google Sheets. Many aren't on there likely due to licensing issues around Xbox backwards compatibility. Microsoft previously noted that it had exhausted all of its legal options for certain games, owing to a plurality of legal issues stemming from expired sound effects licenses to rights holders being uncontactable.

But ... there are also plenty on the list that are available on Xbox backwards compatibility, circumventing licensing issues, that are also unavailable on Xbox Game Pass.

Microsoft said it wanted to put Activision's "much loved library of games" onto Xbox Game Pass, so why hasn't it happened yet?

So ... why aren't they there yet?

Just this past weekend, former Bethesda exec Pete Hines attacked Xbox Game Pass, drawing attention to its retail sales cannibalization. Other game industry alumni chimed in, including former PlayStation exec Shawn Layden and Xbox veteran Shannon Loftis, essentially calling attention to the idea that Xbox Game Pass results in less investment for first-party developers who are forced by Microsoft to participate in the program.

Microsoft sources previously told me that Xbox Game Pass accounts for sales cannibalization using an equation and then charges the business back to studios, although it does seem as though there is a very delicate balancing act Microsoft is running up against to make Xbox Game Pass work.

For example, Microsoft moved the "day one games" promise from the cheaper $12.99 tier into the highest $19.99 Xbox Game Pass tier last year, ahead of Call of Duty's inclusion. Call of Duty is a very, very expensive game to make and maintain, and any disruption to the business model therein could threaten the entire franchise — particularly as Battlefield 6 looks increasingly hot this year. That's probably why we haven't seen World of Warcraft or Elder Scrolls Online hit Xbox Game Pass, given that both (more so WoW than ESO), rely on in-game subscription services to power their business models.

Speaking of Call of Duty, Microsoft is probably cognizant of the fact that many Call of Duty players would probably migrate to classic Call of Duty titles if they were more broadly available. The older CoD games do not monetize as strongly as the newer ones, owing to fewer skins and things like that. Ironically, Activision's insistence on goofy skins has led to a huge backlash against the game, forcing them to quite literally publicly commit to keeping things more grounded in the future.

Other older games not showing up, such as MechAssault, are simply the result of complex and outdated legal agreements between rights holders. Microsoft owns the full rights to license video games based on the BattleTech / MechAssault / MechWarrior tabletop universe, but it doesn't own the full rights to the franchises wholesale, making re-publishing older entries a little legally murky. Microsoft errs on the side of caution with regards to things like this, given that it's often such a huge target for opportunistic litigators.

But, more broadly, the real reason Microsoft hasn't simply flooded Xbox Game Pass with Activision's back catalog is, again, likely due to cannibalization. If Microsoft aggressively dumped 30+ old Activision titles into Xbox Game Pass, it threatens the engagement bonuses third-party developers in the program get to enjoy. Keeping third-party developers happy, particularly indies who use Xbox Game Pass royalties as part of their business models, is a delicate balancing act. It perhaps wouldn't be as much of an issue if Xbox Game Pass was seeing significant growth, but there's no evidence that it is right now.

Indeed, given that Xbox Game Pass isn't really growing (particularly so on console), Microsoft has to be pretty careful how it manages what games are available. It could be argued that they're potentially being too conservative, and that adding more nostalgic games like the original Xbox 360 back compat Call of Duty games could drive more interest in the Xbox platform all up — but it's hard to know what impact it might have if they went further.

Finding new users for Xbox Game Pass is what has been driving Microsoft to expand with Xbox PC, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and devices like the Xbox Ally ... but it's pretty telling that they haven't shared any new Game Pass milestones since February 2024.

While we don't know who will be directing the upcoming Call of Duty film, a new report claims that famed director Steven Spielberg was interested, but Activision went in a different direction.

Quoting three sources, Matthew Belloni at Puck News reports that Spielberg was extremely interested in directing a Call of Duty movie, with his production company Amblin joining with Universal for a pitch.

The report indicates that Activision ended up turning this pitch down because, as part of the deal, Spielberg would have full control over the production and marketing of the project, as well as having final cut rights.

By going with Paramount's offer, Activision has reportedly retained more of a say in various aspects of the film's production process.

Steven Spielberg and the history of Call of Duty

Spielberg shares an interesting connection with the Call of Duty franchise that goes back to its origins.

The iconic director is a massive fan of video games, founding Dreamworks Interactive with Microsoft in 1995, which would go on to developer the original Medal of Honor before being acquired by Electronic Arts in 2000.

As a result, early Medal of Honor drew heavily on Spielberg's work, particularly 1998's Saving Private Ryan.

Spielberg worked as a producter on Medal of Honor, and went on to write the story for Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, which was developed by 2015, Inc.

Several developers from 2015, Inc left the company and went on to found a studio called Infinity Ward in 2002, which was then brought in by Activision to develop a "Medal of Honor killer" named Call of Duty.

So, who will direct the Call of Duty film for Paramount?

It would've been neat to see Spielberg directing a Call of Duty film, with all the connections coming full circle.

Outside of that, he's one of the kings of the Hollywood blockbuster, and I would've been fascinated to see what kind of take he'd bring to Call of Duty, as well as what era of the series he'd be interested in.

Still, there are other directors whose work I've enjoyed that I do believe could craft a spectacle worth seeing, with some various pros and cons for each:

• Chad Stahelski
  • Pros: He directed the John Wick films, worked as a second-unit director on movies like Captain America: Civil War, and even coordinated stunts for the Matrix films. The action choreography would be fantastic.
    Cons: He's already attached to an increasingly-unwieldy number of upcoming projects, including (but not limited to) a remake of Highlander, a Ghost of Tsushima film, and a Rainbox Six movie.
• Joseph Kosinski
  • Pros: He directed Top Gun: Maverick, which is easily standing strong of the best military movies of the 2020s (if not the best, for my money). Maverick was also a Paramount production, adding familiarity. He also directed Tron: Legacy and Oblivion.
    Cons: Maverick aside, he has a bit less experience than many other directors.
• Michael Bay
  • Pros: He's Michael Bay. He understands explosions, helicopters, gunfire, and more explosions.
    Cons: I wouldn't hold my breath on getting a nuanced story. He also hasn't worked on a big franchise since hanging up his Transformers hat.

No matter what, I'm extremely curious how this ends up panning out.

In the meantime, the next entry in the still-annual video game franchise is set to arrive this November, with Treyarch and Raven's Black Ops 7 notably being the first back-to-back sequel the series has ever seen, coming hot on the heels of the same studios' Black Ops 6 in 2024.

As for other Xbox properties receiving film and TV adaptations, the second season of the acclaimed Fallout TV series premieres on Prime Video this December, while work is continuing on Netflix's Gears of War movie.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is slated to launch on Nov. 14, 2025, across Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC (Battle.net, Steam, Xbox PC), PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4.

Earlier this month, I stepped off a shuttle bus and shuffled through the doors of Treyarch Studios with a small horde of fellow game journalists. This wasn’t my first trip to Treyarch’s newest office, as I had visited it just a year prior to interview Yale Miller and Matt Scronce ahead of the reveal of Black Ops 6.

A lot had changed since my previous visit, however.

The lobby sported a few new trophies in the display cases, and a plush Mister Peaks — the unsettling plush bunny that became a mascot for Black Ops 6’s Zombies mode — was now sitting among the wonder weapon and mystery box replicas. The previously revealed teaser trailer for Black Ops 7 was playing on the wall-mounted TVs.

The lobby gives way to an area called the Pit, which had been newly redecorated since my last visit. Abby, the giant zombie abomination that delighted many at COD NEXT in 2024, now also lives permanently in Treyarch. New murals featuring David “Section” Mason and Emma Kagan overlooked the cubicles of testing stations.

From there, we move on to the theater, a blacked-out room with strip lighting set to blue and a bank of theater seats. A couple of screens feature the Black Ops 7 cover art, with David Mason awash in blue and orange hues. We sit through a rehearsed briefing, with various team members from Treyarch and Raven Software excitedly switching out with the next after telling us a little about what they’ve been working on.

Seven pillars of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7

Breaking down Call of Duty 2025's content plans is no easy feat. The team has dubbed it the seven pillars of Black Ops 7. An absolutely massive beast of a game, packed to the rafters with content. The team starts with the new cooperative campaign, which allows up to four players to embrace the madness of Black Ops 7 together as a squad. It's the first time a cooperative campaign has been present in a Call of Duty title since Black Ops 3 in 2015.

From campaign, they move on to the new Endgame feature — a massive cooperative environment with up to 32 players, broken down into eight squads of four. For a limited amount of time, the teams can swoop in with wingsuits and run around Avalon, working together against common enemies.

We hear about the changes coming to Zombies, set entirely in the Dark Aether and drawing inspiration from Black Ops 2's TranZit map. A massive map hits the screen, with large areas highlighted and marked with question marks. The map is so big you'll need to craft a fifth member of the squad, a Wonder Vehicle, to get around it.

I'm immediately concerned as a Zombies fan who prefers the smaller map experience of Black Ops 6's Liberty Falls, but those fears are put to rest pretty quickly when the team starts to talk about Zombies' Survival mode. This mode chunks out the arenas of the bigger map and makes them bite-sized experiences.

Dead Ops Arcade also comes back, offering another pillar for cooperative squad play to Black Ops 7. The top-down, twin-stick zombie shooter is a game-within-a-game-within-a-game and allows four players to tackle multiple levels of the undead. We see a few teaser shots, including a squad on a surprisingly recognizable map — Nuketown gets the top-down arcade treatment for the first time in DOA4.

Multiplayer, Black Ops 7's new Skirmish mode, and Warzone-integration wrapped up the seven pillars of gameplay concept. Skirmish gave off the vibe that the Black Ops team were trying to get ahead of the competition with Battlefield 6's large map gameplay by introducing its own.

An evolution on the concepts laid out in Ground War-like modes from past titles, Skirmish is a large battle map where five squads of four combine to make two 20-player teams to battle it out. Skirmish is a more "rails off" take on multiplayer, that lacks the rapid combat for more strategic gameplay, and gives players more wiggle room to mess around with the wing suits, grapple hooks, and boost jumps.

The team was fairly tight-lipped about the core Multiplayer experience. However, they did reveal that 16 maps were to be expected at launch, with three maps having been remastered from Black Ops 2.

Unfortunately, we'll have to wait until COD Next to find out anything about what is coming to Call of Duty: Warzone when it integrates with Black Ops 7 in Season 1 sometime around early December.

Developing Black Ops 7

“There’s a lot of love in the studio” for Black Ops, says Yale Miller, Director of Production for Treyarch, during a group interview session, “Part of the thing for making great games is finding out what the team is really passionate about.”

It’s clear from listening to the team speak about Black Ops that they’re passionate about the franchise. It’s hard not to smile when a member of the art team is excitedly pointing out the latest in GPU particle effects, and what this jump in the graphics tech means for the game’s creepy new fog-covered zombies maps.

Staying true to Black Ops while crafting something new

Call of Duty is frequently maligned as being an annual reskin of the same game, despite the differences between the franchises. That allegation is only made worse when Activision and the Call of Duty studios behind the game attempt to develop and release a sequel in tandem — as we previously saw with Modern Warfare 2 and 3 in 2022 and 2023.

Accusations that the tandem sequel is little more than an “expansion” run rampant. There were murmurs of such a situation surrounding the first-ever back-to-back sequel launch in the Black Ops series, but they were seemingly quieted by the previously released teaser trailer that set Black Ops 7 apart from its predecessor fairly quickly.

"It was really unleashing the team," says Miles Leslie, associate creative director for Treyarch, "Where we are taking this game is so drastically different than a lot of the things we've done before. It really felt like a set change to us."

“We wanted to do something that was absolutely unique from Black Ops 6,” says Miller.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 was a story split across two timelines, providing the perfect playground for a story that could be split between two games and still feel cohesive as sequels. In Black Ops 2, we saw the first half of the campaign as Frank Woods and Alex Mason in the 80s. Then, in the Black Ops’ version of the year 2025, the player becomes Alex’s son, David “Section” Mason.

For Black Ops 6, Raven Software collaborated with Treyarch to dive deeper into Frank Woods’ actions in the 90s. In Black Ops 7, the team continued to pull the thread from Black Ops 2 to David Mason’s story, crafting a futuristic new story in a not-too-modern timeline that gave them some wiggle room to explore with new tech and gameplay.

“Where could you go, right?” Miller asks, “We’ve done past, we’ve done future. We started looking at having meetings, talking about “What are the things that we want to push on? We want to kind of embrace madness and push a little bit further.”

“We talk a lot about ‘what's the DNA of Black Ops’,” Miller continued, “We kept coming back [to 2035]. What are the new stories that we could tell there? Everyone was vibing on near future because it allows us to play with gear and gadgets, and all the other stuff. Then it was like, ‘Oh, that’s getting really close to Black Ops 2!’ Well, it’s canon for us.”

Miller goes on to describe how the team settled on the 10-year gap between Black Ops 2’s 2025 setting and Black Ops 7’s 2035 timeline. He says that it felt good to the team to tell a new story while also addressing the effects of the actions taken in previous games.

Developing Black Ops 6 and Black Ops 7 in tandem gave the team a unique opportunity to craft to very distinct stories that were threaded together. “We can push on ideas, content, and experiences that you just can’t do in 1990.”

“They were greenlit at the same time,” says Matt Scronce, “We knew from the start that Black Ops 6 and Black Ops 7, that this would be how it was. [With Black Ops 6] The team gets to dig their teeth into a 90s game, which we had never done, but then right off the back of that — along with our partners — we get to go to the near future.”

“If I’m thinking about gameplay content, active camo is not something we could have done in Black Ops 6, right?” continues Scronce, “Like, we’re Black Ops so we probably could have found a way to make it make sense, but that’s a very specific example of a piece of content we just — narratively and fictionally — we couldn’t and probably wouldn’t do.

“In Black Ops 7, being able to flex into that near future and just kind of breaking the chains off of having to be bound by historical pieces of content or reality, and kind of being able to be a bit more creative when it comes to some of the tech has been a ton of fun,” says Scronce.

The future of Black Ops

With Black Ops 7’s push back into the future, I couldn’t help but wonder if the Black Ops franchise could possibly be creeping toward a finale, but Miller was quick to dissuade such a notion, “It can’t be [the end] for us because we have so much love for our other games. Like Black Ops 3 is canon, right? There are still things that are there [to explore].”

“We have huge moments, with the passing of Woods,” Miller continues, bringing up a moment shown in the latest Black Ops 7 trailer when we see Frank Woods’ headstone, “That’s a character that in our current world, no longer exists. So some of those things are tough for the team…but I don’t think we’re thinking of this as any kind of finality.

You go into the future anyway with Black Ops 4 and Black Ops 3, so it would be impossible unless we find some way to sever the timeline. But we’re not making the game.”

Treyarch and Raven team members’ spoke during our briefing about the seven pillars of Black Ops 7’s gameplay — from the brand-new campaign endgame experience down to the co-op of Dead Ops Arcade 4, but Call of Duty doesn’t just stop with its day one launch. Each game receives a year of post-launch support content, including new maps and modes for multiplayer, new weapons and operators, and so much more.

With seven distinct gameplay modes to address, each with its own unlockable content, there is a lot of wiggle room for filling out those roadmap cards released each season. That doesn’t mean content planning is easy, though. “It’s actually extremely hard to balance everything across all of the modes,” says Treyarch’s design director, Matt Scronce.

“We do our best,” Miller adds.

Scronce echoes the “We do our best” sentiment, with Miller adding, “I’m sure the community will let us know when they’re not perfectly balanced.”

“But we have an amazing systems design team here who are deep in the spreadsheets across all the modes,” Scronce adds.

Speaking of Black Ops 7’s seven pillars, Scronce continues, “It was super exciting for us when we had the vision, and it came to the realization [that] you can play this entire game with your friends or by yourself. Every time you go and play, whether it's core multiplayer, it's skirmish, it’s co-op campaign. Dead-ops, or Zombies. You’re always going to be earning towards a camo or battle pass, so that’s the exciting bit. You can stick to one mode, but there’s a whole lot more game to see out there.”

While co-op is back for Black Ops 7, we shouldn’t expect it to be the norm for every Call of Duty title going forward. “It’s what’s right for the game,” says Miller, “the big word is ‘connected’ when we talk about the experience and what makes this game unique.”

The team initially toyed with the idea of only adding two-player co-op to Black Ops 7, claiming it would have been easier for the team, according to Miller, “But then you can’t take your squad all the way through zombies!”

The decision to add co-op then left the campaign team wanting for a camo track. “Well, if it’s really a connected game, then you should be earning progression everywhere.”

This led to further connections, even in interesting ways that might otherwise grab your attention but make sense in context. “Connected perks,” Miller adds, “even the HUD where you’re actually seeing what your squad is doing. You can see that stuff already in military stuff, where [there is] clear information about what other players are doing.” Miller says the team pushed those real-world ideas forward and applied it to game systems for Black Ops 7.

Truly cooperative experience, but maybe a little surprise

With all the talk of connectivity and exploring the campaign as a cooperative experience, the chatter in our group turned to the newly announced endgame mode for Black Ops 7. Set in the world of Avalon, the newest of Black Ops 7’s seven pillars of gameplay is a “Player versus Environment” (or PvE) experience that turns players loose with wingsuits in four-person squads with up to 32 players per server.

“We’ve had that debate a lot,” Miller says with a chuckle when asked if the mode would be strictly PvE, “There could be a little surprise here,” adds Scronce.

“There are all kinds of activities and contracts and things that you can do,” says Miller. “The World of Avalon is broken up into different difficulty zones where certain areas are going to have much harder things to do, and you need to be more leveled up to go into those areas, or you will get annihilated.

Some of those activities, you can complete them on your own, or you can join up and complete them together with different squads. Certain activities and other things will require you to join up with a lot more players to be able to get through things,” Miller continued.

While many of the things we saw of the new Avalon map and Endgame’s cooperative experience resembled the DMZ and Modern Warzone Zombies experience we’ve had in the past, there is a bit of a twist. The server does not stay open indefinitely, and there is a time limit on how long you and your squad can remain in Avalon.

We unfortunately did not get a chance to see Avalon in action, but the team’s comments about the mode have me envisioning a love child between DMZ/MWZ and The Division’s “Survival” mode of days gone by.

Not every fan of a large-scale experience is vying for a cooperative one, however, and that’s where Skirmish comes in.

“It’s something that is not unfamiliar to us,” Scronce says of the new 20 vs 20 mode, “We did combined arms in Cold War, which we had a lot of fun with.

We’ve always kind of dabbled in ground war over the years in various capacities. 20v20 was kind of the most fun, really, when it came down to it. I talked about trying to hit the right kind of Black Ops pace for us where it's not too crazy, but also you’re not getting bored.”

“We’re still dialing some of that stuff,” says Miller. “But I think we’re in a good spot,” adds Scronce.

According to Miller, the team had to decide what was going to be part of the plan for Warzone, saying, “The last thing we want to do is just make another resurgence experience. How can it be unique and different? That leads to the different squad sizes.” On the decision to add in wingsuits, grapples, and armor? Scronce says, “That shit’s just fun!”

Black Ops 7 is ambitious, but still somehow last-gen friendly

While Miller and Scronce talk about all the connectivity of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and the title’s ever expanding “pillars of gameplay”, it seems inevitable that some of these new features will be left on the cutting room floor in order to push through launch. We saw this with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, when theater mode was unceremoniously removed from the release on last-gen consoles. Surely some of Black Ops 7’s seven pillars won’t make it to the PS4 and Xbox One?

“There is some stuff,” confirms Miller on the absence of features for last-gen, though he confirms that all the game’s core experiences will be there. “We put a lot of icing and hot sauce on stuff to just make it look as awesome as it possibly can. The horsepower on PS4, Xbox One, and …it’s the same thing on lower-end PC. We want people with a lower-end PC to still be able to play.

Our mini spec will go up a little bit — that’ll get announced sooner than later — but in general, the gameplay is the same, and you’ll be able to play cooperatively with everyone. You might have things like less particles, and you definitely have less reflection. Stuff you saw in Forge where you’re actually getting light bouncing across.”

Miller also adds that while no features, themselves, have been cut, the inclusion and support of Theater mode is an ongoing conversation. “Our goal for theater is to support it, but I don’t know where that will end.”

However, players with current-gen consoles and higher-end PCs can look forward to more of that ‘icing and hot sauce.’ “Full ray tracing, path tracing. We can also push more stuff with just like particle density, antialiasing, things like that,” Miller concluded.

Generative AI imagery and Black Ops

While we were discussing the game’s art, it felt like a good time to ask Scronce and Miller about the future of generative AI in Black Ops. Black Ops 6 came under considerable fire for its use of generative AI in event rewards and as part of bundles. To the point that Steam’s policy on disclosing the use of AI in games led to Activision confirming its reliance on the nascent tech.

Miller jumps in to quickly reiterate that “All of our stuff is touched by people” when I bring up the topic of generative AI. He dances around the topic like a pro, but his body language makes it clear this isn’t really a topic of discussion he wants to linger on.

“Obviously, teams have looked at different things and different ways to use AI, but everything that you’re seeing today is all touched by people,” Miller reiterates.

He also adds, “AI is a tool, and we’re still figuring it out. I think everyone in the industry is figuring out how you can and should use it.”

Black Ops 7 seems unlikely to shed the generative AI disclosure on Steam, but at least the team has seemingly learned from past mistakes going forward.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is developed by Treyarch and Raven Software and published by Activision. The game is expected to launch on November 14 on Xbox consoles, PlayStation consoles, and PC via Steam, Battle.net, and Xbox on PC. It will join Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass libraries on day one.

Over the last couple of days, I've been playing the recent Heretic + Hexen remaster that was announced and revealed at QuakeCon 2025 (thank you, Bethesda Softworks, for the code).

This compilation is a loving enhancement of Raven Software's original games that's been carefully brought to modern hardware through the efforts of the remaster experts at Nightdive Studios, who are working once again alongside developer id Software.

There are even entirely new expansions to play (crafted in tandem by Nightdive and id Software) alongside both classic titles.

Playing through these games and seeing the love poured into them has me reflecting a bit on how fruitful this partnership has been over the last few years, as well as wondering what could be next.

Nightdive is a master of reviving older games

For the unfamiliar, Nightdive Studios is a team that specializes in porting older games to modern hardware, going out of its way to hunt down the rights to titles long thought abandoned or impossible to revisit.

The studio's ongoing work with Bethesda and id Software began back in 2020 with the surprising announcement of a modern port for DOOM 64. This was the start of a near-yearly tradition, with the companies continuing by launching remasters of Quake, Quake 2, and DOOM + DOOM 2 in 2021, 2023, and 2024, respectively.

These ports are some of the most definitive remasters available, with a wide range of options and improvements like improved animations, entirely new campaigns, 120 FPS support on Xbox Series X|S and PC, and much more. Nightdive's work has been fantastic everywhere, but for me, it's these collaborative remasters that have set an industry standard.

It's honestly been a fun tradition to look forward to, with my friends I frequently speculating about what could be next on the docket.

At just $15 (as well as being available in Xbox Game Pass), Heretic + Hexen continue that trend of fantastic remasters, and I highly recommend checking them out if you haven't yet.

This year's remaster also takes the aforementioned collaborative step a bit further, adding in games from Raven Software, a studio that now sits under Activision.

For a long time, this kind of remaster might've been impossible, as the publishing rights to Heretic and Hexen were held by id Software's parent company, ZeniMax Media, but the development rights fell under Activision. With both Activision and ZeniMax now owned by Microsoft, the rights to a handful of games are no longer divided.

It's that aspect that has me wondering what could be next.

What's next for Nightdive and Xbox?

While I've thoroughly appreciated the consistent flow of remasters that Nightdive has provided by working with the teams at Bethesda, id Software, MachineGames, and now Raven Software as well, I'm curious as to just what could be next.

These systematic remasters have seriously thinned the list of remaining "obvious" games from that time period that can be brought forward into the modern era. There are a handful of games left (Hexen 2 feels fairly obvious at this point), but the list is getting thin.

To that end, perhaps Nightdive could start doing even more ambitious work on newer games that graced the end of the original Xbox or even the Xbox 360? The studio's leadership has previously noted that the team is interested in working on Xbox 360-era titles.

With reports of a Wolfenstein TV series in early production and MachineGames seemingly focused on Indiana Jones, Raven Software's 2009 Wolfenstein game seems the perfect target for Nightdive to stretch its skills.

Expanding further into the Activision catalogue, the underrated Singularity is another Raven Software game that has never been ported to modern hardware before.

Even id Software's DOOM 3 could use a revisit. I'm aware of the BFG Edition that's available on all platforms, but for the grumpy purists such as myself who loved the dark lighting and conscious choice of using a flashlight, the BFG Edition feels a bit too watered down.

You can go through the trouble of getting DOOM 3 working beautifully on a modern PC (I did so just recently), but this type of gaming history deserves a more dedicated effort.

These are just a few examples, but I'm ultimately just hopeful we'll see more of Nightdive's work across the Activision and Bethesda libraries, whatever form it ends up taking.

Heretic + Hexen (and Nightdive's other remastered id Software titles) are available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC (Steam and Xbox PC), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.

The second Call of Duty title to launch under the Xbox umbrella, following Microsoft’s record-setting acquisition of Activision Blizzard King, is set to drop later this fall. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 was officially teased with a three-minute trailer that rounded up the end of the Xbox Games Showcase during Summer Game Fest before receiving an official reveal headlining Geoff Keighley's Opening Night Live ceremonies.

The game marks the first time in Black Ops history that lead studio Treyarch has released a sequel back-to-back with its predecessor. The change was ushered in previously for the Call of Duty franchise with the launch of the Modern Warfare 2 and 3 games in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

We now have a ton of exciting details on Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's campaign, multiplayer, and Zombies modes following the Gamescom reveal and follow-up COD POD episode, as well as my own interview with Treyarch's Matt Scronce and Yale Miller from a recent press briefing. While there are still plenty of gaps in what we know about Black Ops 7, let’s take a moment to break down what we do know for certain.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 first look teaser

Call of Duty’s release timeline is typically so reliable that you can set a watch to it. But 2025 has been unique, and the release timeline we often rely on for what’s coming to the multi-billion-dollar-earning franchise has been completely tossed out the window. Rather than a full reveal during late spring like we normally see for COD, it wasn’t until mid-June that Activision bothered even to confirm that a Call of Duty title was on the way this year.

The confirmation we did get was in the form of a three-minute teaser trailer and a brief blog post from the Call of Duty team confirming that COD 2025 is, in fact, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. Following the reveal teaser, there was a lot of talk on social media by people who thought the trailer was for a Remedy (Control, Alan Wake) adjacent title.

In reality, Black Ops 7 is taking a stroll down the psychological horror route, embracing the series’ history of flirting with mature themes like conspiracies, torture, and brainwashing. The teaser trailer was packed full of hints and Easter eggs for the eagle-eyed Black Ops fan. So many that we made a list of seven details you might have missed in the Black Ops 7 trailer.

Introducing The Guild ahead of Gamescom

While it seemed like Activision was mostly radio silent about Black Ops 7 following its Xbox Games Showcase teaser, the team did start to drip out some teasers ahead of the full reveal during Gamescom.

The first teaser to release appeared to be an advertisement for the in-game entity, The Guild. Activision went above and beyond just teaser ads, though, instead opting to release several billboards around San Francisco on August 11, 2025, followed up with an additional sponsored ad on the official Forbes Instagram account. A website at https://theguild.io and Instagram account named wearetheguild also appeared online.

On August 12, The Guild's website was updated to showcase new equipment dubbed "innovations" that included the D.A.W.G, the GR-5, the HKD, the Legion Drone, and the Guild QuadCore. Some of these "innovations" have been confirmed to be earnable scorestreaks in Black Ops 7.

Tucked away between posts about Mr. Beast and Ryan Reynolds on the account Pubity was yet another ad for The Guild, this time declaring that the company would be launching a public IPO complete with a statement from The Guild CTO Victor Thane.

The post included a video that showed a worried police officer as The Guild robotics drew crowds in populated areas of New York City.

At the same time, the newly official Instagram account for The Guild was hosting a trading poll as part of a promotional partnership between Activision and prediction market/financial exchange Kalshi.

This partnership included a poll asking if the U.S. military would use robotic soldiers in active combat by 2035 — a notion that makes up at least part of the premise of the Black Ops 7 campaign.

A second teaser also dropped on YouTube, during the ARG, building upon the previously posted mentions of The Guild celebrating its IPO. The live action teaser featured a man in a suit with an American flag pocket square giving a passionate speech about how tech companies had lied to the public, and that only The Guild could provide protection.

The speech continues by saying that in 2035, robots would make up the armies of countries globally, stating "Your enemies won't be human, and neither will your defenders."

The Forbes article showcased on Instagram also appears in the "Don't Fear Tomorrow" trailer.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 reveal at Gamescom

The details about what we can expect from Black Ops 7 have been scarce up until recently, but we finally have a full reveal trailer courtesy of Opening Night Live.

While the traditional Call of Duty marketing schedule has seemingly gone out the window for Black Ops 7, Activision has previously taken to the Gamescom Opening Night Live stage to showcase a mission of the upcoming Call of Duty campaign. Interestingly enough, we didn't see a full campaign mission this time around — only a proper trailer.

The trailer opens with Emma Kagan (portrayed by Kiernan Shipka) saying, "They want you afraid. Fear makes you easier to control. It is time to wake up." A variety of chaotic scenes flash on the screen along with the intro, until we see broken screens with classic Black Ops villain Raul Menendez giving a speech.

In Black Ops lore, Menendez has carried out a series of terror attacks across America, hitting major cities like New York and Los Angeles. We see Emma Kagan calling him a terrorist before being greeted with images of The Guild's GR-5 robotic soldiers. "We're bringing peace and security to the world," Kagan continues.

The next scene shows David "Section" Mason (portrayed by Milo Ventimiglia) strolling through a cemetery with a much older Troy Marshall than we last saw in Black Ops 6. Marshall gives Mason some advice, "Stop looking backwards, David. What matters is what we do next," as we see a Vtol score streak hovering in the sky.

The camera cuts again, and we see Mason and his crew prepping for a mission. This is the first time we get a proper look at Mason's squad, and the characters we see here are the ones that we'll be playing as when we jump into the campaign at launch. The squad consists of returning Black Ops 2 characters Mike Harper (portrayed by Michael Rooker), Eric Samuels (voiced by John Eric Bentley), and Leilani "50/50" Tupuola (portrayed by Frankie Adams.)

Tupuola is of particular note because the operator features bionic prosthetics on one of her arms and one leg. According to Treyarch and Raven Software, Tupuola was diagnosed with a degenerative disease and opted to have her limbs replaced with prosthetics as part of an experimental new program that aimed to enhance soldiers with robotics.

That concept probably sounds familiar to anybody who has played Black Ops 3 and 4.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 release date

Activision has confirmed a release date of November 14, 2025 for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 released on October 25, 2024, but a mid-November launch window is the norm for Call of Duty titles.

Only a couple of games in the franchise’s history have launched in October.

The November launch window would allow Black Ops 6 a little more breathing room and the opportunity to close out the sixth and final season of post-launch content with the much-anticipated annual Halloween-themed event, The Haunting.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 campaign gameplay

While Call of Duty as a whole is notorious for its awful naming convention and mixed-up release schedule, nothing holds a candle to the convoluted Black Ops series’ timeline. Black Ops 7’s predecessor, 2024’s Black Ops 6, was set in the 1990s and followed a sequence of events that occurred in a flashback originally shown in 2012’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.

Following the Xbox Games Showcase teaser for Black Ops 7 and an interview with Treyarch associate creative director Miles Leslie on an episode of the COD POD, we learned that Black Ops 7 will time-jump the franchise back into the near future. Black Ops 7 will take place in 2035 — 44 years after the events of Black Ops 6, but only a decade after the events of Black Ops 2.

There are several characters confirmed for Black Ops 7 so far. From the teaser trailer, we know we’ll get a chance to learn more about David Mason, the son of the ill-fated CIA Operative Alex Mason. The teaser also introduced Emma Kagan, portrayed by Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’s Kiernan Shipka, and the return of series antagonist Raul Menendez.

Menendez’s appearance in the trailer is significant, as there are two potential endings for Black Ops 2, and one resulted in the character’s death. However, his appearance is also marked by the red butterfly, which may serve as a clue to players that what they are seeing is not reality.

As mentioned previously, the trailer also featured additional characters from the JSOC team for the campaign. David Mason will head up the "Sector One" squad and the "Spector Two" division is led by Slade "Razor" Barrick.

The campaign for Black Ops 7 has been crafted in tandem with Black Ops 6, of which it is a direct sequel, by Raven Software in partnership with Treyarch. Raven Software also took the lead on the campaign narratives in both Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Black Ops 6. I

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 multiplayer gameplay

Prior to any information being released about BO7, the rumor mill had spun up pretty hard with the notion that Black Ops 7 would feature wall-running and futuristic movement built on top of Black Ops 6’s omnimovement.

Videos reportedly showed wall-running features already programmed into Black Ops 6. There was speculation that the feature was a leftover from omnimovement’s development, or that it may have been added in preparation for Black Ops 7.

However, Treyarch quickly poured cold water on the futuristic movement and wall-running theories, declaring that while Black Ops 7 takes place in 2035, it is still too far removed from the futuristic tech seen in Black Ops 3 and 4 for those abilities to be present.

That was a bit of a half-truth on Treyarch's part, though, and we know now that Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 will feature "wall jumping", a boost jump, grapple hooks, and a combat roll to minimize fall damage as part of its advanced movement. The tactical sprint option has been removed as a default setting and will now require a perk.

Black Ops 7's skirting the line of modern and futuristic timelines gives the developers a little leeway in the tech we could see coming to multiplayer's score streaks, though. There won't be any exosuits, but the teaser trailer did show off some drones and quadrupedal robotic weaponry that we can expect to see in multiplayer as scorestreaks.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and the COD HQ launcher

Call of Duty’s player base does not love the COD HQ launcher that was originally introduced with Modern Warfare 2 (2022) and Warzone 2.0. Since then, the launcher was expanded to include MW2, MW3, Black Ops 6, Warzone, and MW2’s DMZ mode. In an interview with Treyarch leadership at COD Next in 2024, the team told us that they were “on a journey” with the Call of Duty launcher and attempting to overhaul it to better suit the needs of the players.

However, Activision recently made the move to decouple Modern Warfare 2 (2022) and Modern Warfare (2023) from the Call of Duty HQ. The decoupling signifies that Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 may not be a part of the launcher when it releases this fall, either. That likelihood is further marked by Black Ops 7 being announced as an Xbox Play Anywhere title, an entitlement that was not included with any previous Call of Duty game.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7and Warzone integration

Of course, part of the reason for Activision and the Call of Duty team’s push to integrate premium Call of Duty titles with the COD HQ launcher is for Call of Duty: Warzone. There’s no concrete information on what we can expect from the integration of Warzone and Black Ops 7, although it is likely that the games’ progression tracks and weapons will merge sometime around Season 1 in December 2025.

Warzone has had a rough year following the launch of Black Ops 6, due in part to ongoing woes with the proprietary anti-cheat system, RICOCHET. Black Ops 6 brought with it the launch of the Area 99 map for Warzone Resurgence, which was unceremoniously removed from the game, and the return of Verdansk as the official Battle Royale big map.

Season 5 of Black Ops 6 is changing up Verdansk with the removal of the roof of Stadium, and more changes could come along following the launch of Black Ops 7. We are unlikely to know much more about what to expect for Warzone and Black Ops 7’s merger before COD NEXT, which is confirmed for September 27.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 FAQ

The ESRB rating for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 was recently revealed. The ratings summary did include mentions of drug paraphernalia, including a mention of a previously released weed-loving operator skin with an assault rifle equipped with a bong. That could be an indication that we will see those skins carry forward, or it could also just mean that Black Ops 7 will share the COD HQ launcher with Warzone, where those skins remain available.

Treyarch has also confirmed that additional items will move over with Carry Forward in Season 1, but did not specify if Operator Skins would be among them. We'll just have to wait for more info on this one.

If you plan to purchase any operator bundles at this point in Black Ops 6's lifecycle, you do so with the knowledge that it may be obsolete for Multiplayer come November.

Black Ops 7 won't have the zombie bus driver (that we know of, anyway), but players will be tasked with building a Wonder Vehicle instead of a Wonder Weapon, which will effectively serve as the "fifth squad mate" according to Treyarch. The Wonder Vehicle will be used to travel the massive racetrack-like map that features multiple dangerous corridors connecting larger zones.

If, like me, Tranzit wasn't exactly your favorite version of Black Ops Zombies, that's okay — you can still enjoy some round-based undead action set within the dark aether with your besties on Survival maps. Each of the main zones will be available as a standalone map that you can jump into with your crew. The decision to bring back Survival maps was based on the success of Black Ops 6's Liberty Falls. The smaller map offered a bite sized zed-slaughtering opportunity that was easy to get in and out of for many, and Survival aims to feel similar.

One of the best, and most easily skipped over, parts of Zombies is also coming back — Dead Ops Arcade 4, a game-within-a-game-within-a-game will also be a part of Black Ops 7 at launch complete with all the four-player, multi level, top-down, twin-stick shooting chaos that the former Easter egg is known for.

Raven Software quality assurance (QA) testers have ratified a union contract with Microsoft, securing multiple benefits and becoming the second gaming union to ratify a contract with the tech giant.

After years of bargaining, the unanimous vote secures pay increases, per a press release from the Communication Workers of America (CWA), which says testers will receive a guaranteed 10% wage increase over two years.

The contract also eliminates crunch, with a seven-day notice before any mandatory overtime is scheduled to begin.

Other benefits include expanded disability protection, a fair promotions process, and layoff protections

“After more than three years of organizing and bargaining, seeing it finally pay off feels incredible,” says Erin Hall, QA tester at Raven Software and member of the bargaining committee.

“From day one, we made it a priority to include every voice in the room, and the contract we came out with reflects what we need—better pay, real career paths, and protection from burnout. It’s a contract that actually values the work QA does. I’m proud of what we accomplished, and I hope it shows other game workers that organizing works—and it’s worth it.”

Raven Software is one of multiple studios under the Activision umbrella. In addition to leading efforts on the massive free-to-play battle royale Call of Duty: Warzone, the studio has also been responsible for developing multiple single-player campaigns, including for last year's Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and this year's upcoming Black Ops 7.

A long fight to get to this point

Raven Software QA testers first began organizing back in January 2022, years before Activision Blizzard King was acquired by Microsoft. At the time, the fledgling group faced resistance before eventually voting to form a union in May 2022.

Microsoft agreed to remain neutral in any employee unionizing efforts the same year as part of its bid to acquire Activision Blizzard King. As a result, many teams and studios under Microsoft's gaming division have chosen to unionize over the past couple of years.

Bethesda Game Studios, ZeniMax Online Studios, and ZeniMax Media QA workers have all organized, as has the Activision User Research team, Blizzard Entertainment developers who work on Overwatch 2 and World of Warcraft, and many more.

Raven Software QA workers are the second union to ratify a contract with Microsoft, with the QA testers at ZeniMax Workers United finalizing a contract back in June.

Great news after a turbulent past few weeks

This news also comes just a few weeks after Microsoft announced layoffs impacting the Xbox division, including across parts of Activision Blizzard King.

A full accounting of the layoffs still isn't complete, but hundreds of talented workers are now gone across multiple teams, with multiple games such as Perfect Dark and a new MMORPG from ZeniMax Online Studios being canceled.

While it's unclear what the future holds, sources speaking with Windows Central have emphasized the continued need to unionize, allowing workers to band together in the face of large corporations.

It's been a long road for Raven Software's QA testers, but it's still a victory worth celebrating.

Fans of Diablo Immortal are not happy about the use of generative AI in the game's latest marketing materials. The official Diablo Immortal account shared a new image on social media announcing the mobile game's crossover with Hearthstone for a limited-time event.

Activision Blizzard clearly misjudged how closely the communities of those games would scrutinize the marketing imagery. Reports from Eurogamer and PC Gamer both drew attention to a Reddit post from user Ipyreable, who pointed out the trademark tells of generative AI in the image on the Hearthstone subreddit.

The player had marked up the marketing image with red text to highlight the issues: a weirdly shaped ear on the male character featured to the left of the image, his hand fading strangely into the background behind it, and a warped moon charm on the character featured to the right.

There was more, though. Candles were lit but not with flames, while the wax featured an unusual melting pattern, and bread lay haphazardly on the game table with no plate.

The strangest of all was a card that seemingly featured the Hearthstone board across its face, as opposed to an actual playable card front.

Additional marketing materials for the event, also posted on Blizzard social media platforms, feature images with giveaway signs that they could be the products of generative AI, as well.

Activision Blizzard King is no stranger to using generative AI. Blizzard caught heat previously for releasing an in-game skin that featured work from an artist known to use generative AI. The skin itself was suspected to have been created via prompt, but Blizzard never confirmed it. It did, however, remove the skin from the game.

Activision has also taken hits from the Call of Duty community over the use of generative AI in marketing materials. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 doled out AI-generated images as rewards for seasonal events and as part of paid bundle items.

Steam's disclosure policy ultimately pushed the publisher into declaring that the developers had used generative AI at some point in the development process.

But admitting AI's usage isn't admitting defeat, as far as Activision Blizzard King is concerned. The publisher is under the Microsoft umbrella, and Microsoft has unapologetically pushed all of its chips into the AI pot.

Microsoft has gone so far as to lay off large numbers of employees to bolster its investment in generative AI, and Activision has proudly posted job listings seeking artists willing to incorporate generative AI into their work.

Corporations are hellbent on generative AI, even as problems with the practice mount

With as much money as Microsoft has thrown at generative AI, it would be insane for the company not to require its underlings to utilize the technology to its fullest. However, continuing to lean into the use of generative AI comes with the risk of alienating a game's player base.

While AI may seem useful for generating random textures or other minuscule details that may be missed by a large part of the player base, it still runs into other potential issues.

Generative AI tech does little more than gobble up existing creations and regurgitate them back out in a new arrangement. It's not truly capable of creating anything new. Copyright infringement because of generative AI is not just limited to affecting the artist whose creations are initially fed into the machine, either.

There are no measures in place to protect the original artists, nor is there anything to ensure that companies like Activision Blizzard King can keep its own copyrights in play when generative AI has been used to craft images of trademarked IPs.

Despite the legal gray area, companies like Microsoft and OpenAI continue to insist on the takeover of generative AI, even highlighting the jobs that could disappear because of the advances of artificial intelligence.

Video games are an art form that tell human stories with human emotions based on human experiences — something generative AI simply cannot replicate.

There's great news for Call of Duty fans, as we now know when to expect more details on the next entry in the yearly franchise. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is being shown off during Opening Night Live at Gamescom 2025 on Tuesday, August 19, at 11:00 a.m. PT/ 2:00 p.m. ET.

Geoff Keighley — host of Summer Game Fest, Opening Night Live at Gamescom, and the Game Awards — shared the news via X (Twitter) on Monday, announcing that Black Ops 7 would kick off Gamescom in a "massive" way.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 was first announced with a CGI trailer at the end of the Xbox Games Showcase in June. The trailer confirms the return of protagonist David Mason, who was one of the playable characters in 2012's Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 campaign.

This game is notably the first-ever back-to-back sequel the Call of Duty franchise has ever seen, coming hot on the heels of last year's Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Treyarch and Raven Software are once again leading co-development, with the two studios having also led co-development on Black Ops 6 and 2020's Black Ops: Cold War.

While we don't have exact details at the moment, it seems fair, given the phrasing here, to expect a full gameplay reveal for Black Ops 7, perhaps getting a look at the campaign, multiplayer, and zombies components of the title. It also seems fair to expect a release date for the game.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is slated to launch at some point this fall across Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC (via Battle.net, Steam, and Xbox PC), PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4.

As an Xbox first-party game, it'll also be available day one on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

There's no news right now regarding a Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game, but reports indicate Activision is still committed to bringing the Call of Duty franchise to Nintendo's platform, as promised by Microsoft back during its bid to acquire Activision Blizzard King in 2023.

Xbox is busy at Gamescom 2025

In addition to Activision showing up with Black Ops 7, other Xbox teams are already confirmed to be taking part at Gamescom. Bethesda Softworks will be present, while the World of Warcraft team at Blizzard Entertainment is also showing up.

It's not clear at this time what Bethesda will be showing, but Blizzard Entertainment will be diving into Midnight, the next big expansion in World of Warcraft.

Personally, I'm hoping to see Bethesda share more on what's next for Starfield, including the next rumored expansion and any updates that the developers have planned.

SAG-AFTRA video game actors accepted a new 2025 agreement, the union shared on Wednesday. With this agreement, the video games actors' strike is officially over, with this conclusion coming almost a year after the strike first began back in July 2024.

The strike came after the union was unable to reach an agreement with a bargaining unit for many of the companies producing some of the biggest games in the world, including Activision, Electronic Arts, Insomniac Games, and others.

Under the new agreement, performers are getting 15.17% increased compensation, with further 3% increases set to follow on November 25, November 2026, and November 2027.

Crucially, the new agreement also provides increased protections surrounding AI, with consent and disclosure requirements for any AI replicas, as well as giving actors the ability to suspend the consent of generating new material from.

"All of us at SAG-AFTRA would like to extend our deepest appreciation to the video game performers and allies who endured a great deal of sacrifice throughout the 11-month strike," said SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland.

"Now that the agreement is ratified, video game performers will be able to enjoy meaningful gains and important A.I. protections, which we will continue to build on as uses of this technology settle and evolve.”

The threat of AI was explicitly noted as the main reason for the strike, with companies behind games like Apex Legends, Call of Duty, and others initially unwilling to meet terms surrounding using AI replicas.

Many companies are exploring methods to use AI in games. Earlier in 2025, an experiment from Sony-owned PlayStation leaked, in which engineers from PlayStation's Advanced Technology Group used LLMs (large language models) to power a model for Horizon Forbidden West protagonist Aloy that would then respond to questions.

Ashly Burch, the performance actress for Aloy, responded to the experiment, saying that "I just imagine a video like this coming out that does have someone's performance attached to it, that does have someone's voice or face or movement. And the possibility that if we lose this fight, that person would have no recourse. They wouldn't have any protections, any way to fight back."

Burch noted at the time that Guerrilla Games (the lead studio behind the Horizon titles) had contacted her to assure her that her performance wasn't used in training the model, and that the experiment didn't reflect anything currently in development at the studio.

In the wake of Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard that closed in late 2023, the Xbox and Windows maker has been slowly bringing the Call of Duty games — some of the best-selling titles in the world — to its globally popular buffet-style Xbox Game Pass service. This began with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 last year and continued with the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, followed by Modern Warfare 2 this May and now Call of Duty: WWII on Monday.

Players have begun flooding into the 2017 FPS on both Xbox and PC since then, no doubt spurred on by Game Pass availability on both platforms for a title they'd have to pay $60 for otherwise. Unfortunately, though, what should be an exciting revival for the "boots on the ground" shooter has been marred by widespread reports of concerning RCE hacks in online multiplayer.

RCE exploits — short for "remote code execution" — allow hackers to, as the name suggests, execute code on another player's PC remotely. Though generally pretty rare, RCE hacks have been the cause of data breaches and malware injections before, and are indicative of glaring security vulnerabilities in anti-cheat systems. You may recall when all the Dark Souls servers were taken down until after Elden Ring's launch due to an RCE exploit FromSoftware had to fix.

Evidently, it seems something similar is going on right now with Call of Duty: WWII, as players have posted multiple examples of what appears to be these hacks in action on social media. In the above clip from user Wrioh (also viewable here), for example, their game freezes after they're killed by "FlyingBell76523" — the kind of nonsense string of words and numbers you'd expect for the name of a burner alt account — and code appears to run that opens up a Notepad document with a mocking message before their Call of Duty: WWII client crashes to desktop.

TDAWG, a large Call of Duty content creator, also shared an image sent to him by a fan in which an error caused by an RCE hack displayed an ominous "Get hacked by adrian5909 your pc is now mine" message.

"Just a friendly reminder to not play cod wwii on pc gamepass," TDAWG wrote. "You can literally get your pc hacked. This was sent to me by a subscriber. RT to spread awareness."

Interestingly, user Lasagne Manne — self-proclaimed "Cheat Engine connoisseur" and "video game cheater" — even shared a screenshot of what they claim is the program people are using to perform these RCE exploits. The image shows options for everything from forcing a player's microphone on or off and playing sound effects to far more concerning actions like triggering a blue screen of death (BSOD) or outright causing a PC shutdown.

"Talked to a guy who had access a while back and got a sneak peak/chance to buy the source, its not just ww2 its actually most cod games that are effected," they said, suggesting that other Call of Duty games are vulnerable as well. "There is a current p2c [product-to-consumer] selling with these features and people are getting their pcs turned into botnet zombies."

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Indeed, some quick searches indicate that RCE hacks have been a problem in other Call of Duty titles on PC in years past, though reported cases seem more sporadic than the several you can find on social media about WWII right now. Still, it highlights that there's very much a problem here.

Of course, it's hard to say concretely how dangerous and widespread these exploit programs are at this point, but given that Call of Duty: WWII is eight years old now, I wouldn't be surprised if its anti-cheat systems are far too outdated to combat them. And with loads of players flocking to the game to check it out now that it's on PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, that's a major issue if true.

Publisher Activision and the developers at Sledgehammer Games and Raven Software haven't responded publicly to player reports at the time of writing, but hopefully they're working to patch this apparent glaring vulnerability soon. In the meantime, I'd avoid playing Call of Duty: WWII online on PC if I were you.

As part of Wednesday's news that Xbox is once again undergoing layoffs, including the cancelation of Perfect Dark and the closure of The Initiative, Microsoft Gaming studios lead Matt Booty made an interesting comment as part of an email to staff about the cuts.

"We have made the decision to stop development of Perfect Dark and Everwild as well as wind down several unannounced projects across our portfolio. As part of this, we are closing one of our studios, The Initiative. These decisions, along with other changes across our teams, reflect a broader effort to adjust priorities and focus resources to set up our teams for greater success within a changing industry landscape. We did not make these choices lightly, as each project and team represent years of effort, imagination, and commitment," Booty says.

"Our overall portfolio strategy is unchanged: build games that excite our players, continue to grow our biggest franchises, and create new stories, worlds, and characters. We have more than 40 projects in active development, continued momentum on titles shipping this fall, and a strong slate headed into 2026," he adds.

That's an interesting email to me for a couple of reasons. Not because of what's being said — projects exist at varying stages of development, so having 40 games doesn't immediately mean anything tangible to me — but because of what isn't being said.

Namely, Booty refrains from naming any particular game as a highlight for the company to look forward to shipping, a shift in tone compared to his prior emails when explaining away cuts to staff. In doing so, it's harder to see if there's any game (or games) that can be expected to be seen as "safe" amidst the chaotic cuts.

To that end, sources tell Windows Central that every game featured in the recent Xbox Games Showcase is unaffected, meaning games like Double Fine's Keeper and inXile Entertainment's Clockwork Revolution are continuing in development.

This seemed like a reasonable assumption, with the overwhelming majority of the first-party titles featured in the presentation slated to launch later this year, but it's still worth noting.

The aforementioned Clockwork Revolution was the lone exception, but even there, that trailer seemed far along for a game without a release window, suggesting it might not be years and years away from release.

But what about other projects that weren't featured in the June Xbox presentation?

There are numerous other games in production, with the list of already-announced games including Marvel's Blade from Arkane Lyon and State of Decay 3 from Undead Labs, as well as the experimental horror title OD from Kojima Productions and the Xbox publishing team. None of these projects were featured in the showcase, but all of them seem to still be in development right now.

Booty mentions unannounced projects being canceled, and these included a new, unannounced MMORPG from ZeniMax Online Studios.

Microsoft is planning "major" cuts across Xbox starting next week, according to a report from Bloomberg on Tuesday.

Reporter Jason Schreier notes that it's not clear exactly which teams are being affected, but that the cuts are expected to be substantial.

This will be the fourth major round of gaming-focused layoffs at Microsoft over the last two years, with around 1900 employees cut in January 2024 (mostly from Activision Blizzard King), while three ZeniMax Media studios were shuttered in May 2024, with another round of Activision-focused layoffs seeing 650 more employees cut in September 2024.

In Microsoft's most recent financial quarter ending March 31, 2025, the company saw gaming revenue up 5% year-over-year, driven by growth in Call of Duty, Minecraft, and Xbox Game Pass. Microsoft as a whole saw $70.1 billion in revenue for the quarter, up 11% year-over-year, with net income of $25.8 billion, up 18% year-over-year.

People make games

When I look at the past couple of months for Xbox, it's been a downright onslaught on of different games and ports.

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered saw a surprise reveal and simultaneous launch and was the best-selling game of April in the U.S.

Forza Horizon 5 was brought to PlayStation 5 in April and became an instant success, even being the most-downloaded PlayStation 5 game for May in the U.S, while DOOM: The Dark Ages launched and reached 3 million players.

These are just a handful of highlights, but they were all only possible because of all the hands involved. Games are more complicated than ever, and it takes hundreds of workers to make games happen.

No matter what teams are hit next week, that'll be impacted. It's the latest tiring episode in the ongoing story of layoffs across the gaming industry, and it's something I'm beyond sick of.

During the Xbox Games Showcase 2025, Activision shared another look at Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4, a remake of the two iconic games that's being developed by Iron Galaxy.

In addition to a bunch of cool tricks, the trailer also revealed a couple of major details. First, there's a demo available TODAY for anyone that preorders the game. This demo includes the Foundry level, with players able shred using Tony Hawk himself, Rayssa Leal, and (for those that preorder the Deluxe Edition) the Doom Slayer.

This demo is also open to anyone that is subscribed to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Second, there's another skater coming to the full game. It's none other than Michelangelo from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, who is animated in loving detail and even has his own unique tricks. For added comedy, you can use these tricks with other skaters.

While I was in town for Summer Game Fest 2025, I recently had the chance to play over a half-hour of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4. While my skills are definitely rusty, it's a lot of fun, and I'm particularly impressed with the new maps crafted by Iron Galaxy.

The team has crafted three all-new maps: Movie Studio, Pinball, and Water Park. Pinball in particular is a ton of fun, as you have to watch out for the giant pinball that'll wreck you if you time some of your tricks wrong.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 is scheduled to shred on July 11, 2025 across Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC (Battle.net, Steam, Xbox PC), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.

Like all Xbox first-party games, it's also available through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

It's also in development for Nintendo Switch 2, though the release date for this version is not currently known.

As the Xbox Games Showcase 2025 approaches, there's another batch of games headed to Xbox Game Pass soon.

Players will be able to jump into the remastered debut of Ultramarine Titus with Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine Master Crafted Edition. This remaster includes better visuals and audio, and is slated to launch on June 10, 2025.

The drip-feed of Activision games into the Xbox Game Pass catalogue continues, as Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time is also coming to the library this month.

There's a couple of other big day one launches as well, including 11 bit studios' The Alters and Remedy Entertainment's FBC: Firebreak.

If you missed them before, be sure to check out the games added to Xbox Game Pass earlier in the month. Now, here's everything coming to Xbox Game Pass in the first half of June 2025:

June 5, 2025

• Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate 2: Enhanced Editions (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox Cloud Gaming) - Ultimate, Standard

June 10, 2025

• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine - Master Crafted Edition (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Windows PC) - Ultimate, PC

June 11, 2025

• Barbie Project Friendship (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Windows PC) - Ultimate, Standard, PC
• Kingdom: Two Crowns (Windows PC) - Ultimate, PC

June 12, 2025

• EA Sports FC 25 (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Windows PC) - Ultimate, PC

June 13, 2025

• The Alters (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Windows PC) - Ultimate, PC

June 17, 2025

• Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC) - Ultimate, Standard, PC
• FBC: Firebreak (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Windows PC) - Ultimate, PC
• Lost in Random: The Eternal Die (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Windows PC) - Ultimate, Standard, PC

What's leaving Xbox Game Pass on June 15?

• Dordogne
• Hypnospace Outlaw
• Isonzo
• Keplerth
• My Time At Sandrock 
• Rolling Hills: Make Sushi, Make Friends 
• Depersonalization 

Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass subscription service is getting Retro Classics, a collaboration between Xbox and Antstream Arcade that brings over 50 older Activision games to streaming.

As shared through Xbox Wire on Wednesday, Retro Classics includes titles like Commando, Grand Prix, Mech Warrior 2: 31st Century Combat, Pitfall, and many others. This feature is available today for Xbox Game Pass subscribers at no extra cost.

Retro Classics is slated to expand over time, with future updates bringing the catalogue to over 100 Activision and Blizzard games at some point in the future.

Retro Classics are available for all Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Standard, and PC Game Pass subscribers in all countries where the subscription service is offered. It's also included with Xbox Game Pass Core in most countries except Japan, for whatever reason.

In order to access these older games on an Xbox console or PC, you'll want to go to the store and search for Retro Classics. Install the app, and you're good to start playing. Per the press release, there are new achievements to earn, so if you're an achievement hunter, you're in luck.

Elsewhere in the world of Xbox Game Pass, the latest batch of upcoming games was also announced earlier today, with titles like Metaphor: ReFantazio joining the service soon.

This weekend, Activision's Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile — a mobile version of the very popular free-to-play Call of Duty: Warzone battle royale game on Xbox, Windows PC, and PlayStation — is being taken down from the iOS App Store and Android's Google Play Store just a year after its launch in March 2024.

The news came in a social media post on Friday afternoon, with publisher Activision explaining that the game has ultimately failed to meet expectations with mobile audiences. Therefore, the title will no longer be receiving any updates, and effective immediately, you'll no longer be able to purchase Call of Duty Points or Black Cell in-game with real money (though unspent currencies can still be used).

Though the servers and cross-progression between this mobile version and the one on consoles and PC will remain online, social features will not, you also won't be able to download Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile anymore after May 18, 2025 — this upcoming Sunday. If you want to play it, make sure you install it before then.

"Going forward, we will be streamlining the scope of the game," Activision wrote. "This decision was made after careful consideration of various factors and while we're proud of the accomplishment in bringing Call of Duty: Warzone to mobile in an authentic way, it unfortunately has not met our expectations with mobile-first players like it has with PC and console audiences."

The publisher then went on to share its appreciation for the game's fans, while also calling attention to new incentives in place to encourage existing Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile players to try out the much more successful Call of Duty: Mobile.

"We know that this news may be disappointing, and we truly appreciate the support, passion, feedback, and dedication from our community," it said. "We have special incentives for Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile players in Call of Duty: Mobile and encourage our players to try it for free."

According to the FAQ page Activision linked to, those incentives consist of an offer to double your COD Points balance from Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile in Call of Duty: Mobile, "plus other awesome rewards." Warzone Mobile players can take advantage of that from now until August 15, 2025, so make sure you log into Call of Duty: Mobile using the same Activision account you use for the ill-fated battle royale title before then.

Though Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile had a strong start — Activision said it had over 50 million pre-registrations, and it generated over $1.4 million in four days after launch — it evidently failed to remain successful in the long term, and is now being sunset as a result.

Over the Easter weekend, I played quite a bit of Call of Duty. I also read an article about Black Ops 6 that started turning the old brain cogs.

I refer to this post from Dexerto, highlighting player frustration with the continued influx of weed-themed skins. We don't have to buy them, after all, they're premium items not on the battle pass, but I get it.

But going beyond that, it's one side of a seesaw that is drastically imbalanced. Much has been said about chat bans since Black Ops 6 launched, with the AI systems taking a while to get up to speed.

But you also can't swear in the text chat, or write anything that Activision deems offensive, even if it isn't a curse word. But weed paraphernalia is ok?

Playing to the audience, but not everyone has to like it

The reason these skins keep getting made is simple; they're being bought. Does it mean everyone has to like it, though? Not at all. This Reddit thread, for example, poses a good question.

And, you know, not everyone who plays Call of Duty is a stoner. I do like Jay and Silent Bob, though.

My own criticism is that on one hand, skins dedicated to a substance which is illegal in many parts of the world, such as the UK, where I live, are fine. But putting the word "balls" into in-game text chat is not.

For example, if you called out a cheater and put a player is "cheating their balls off" then it gets censored. But if you pay Activision some money, you can have all the weed effects you like.

I've had a temporary chat ban for getting a bit sweary, and I'm certainly not encouraging aggressive, offensive behavior in voice or text chat. But it does feel a little hypocritical.

An adult game for adults

Call of Duty is an 18 rated game. It is for adults. Period. As such, weed skins in itself aren't a necessarily bad thing, since kids shouldn't be playing, right?

In the same way that chat is moderated and censored, is it that important it completely filters any possible swearing since it should only be adults playing?

Here's the thing. Kids play Call of Duty. You know it, I know it, Activision knows it. We've all been in game chat with a kid mouthing off.

But apparently they're ok seeing a bunch of stoner material because it makes Activision money, where swearing in chat is a strict no no. Won't somebody think of the children?!

I'm being deliberately ridiculous, but to show my point. I don't care about the stoner skins, I won't buy them, and I only have to be annoyed when they show up in a killcam looking absurd.

But it's peak Call of Duty right now that there are two glaring opposites concerning 'adult behavior.' It seems fine as long as you're giving them money. Can't we just have the Call of Duty we all fell in love with back?