Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Warzone devs on making one of the biggest live-service games in the world — "Some teams see launch as the finish line. For us, it’s the starting gun"

Though online multiplayer games that get updated with new content and important adjustments have been around for over 20 years, it wasn't until we got titles like Destiny and Fortnite that we arguably saw the true birth of the "live service" genre, and its subsequent rise to dominance. Games like these aren't finished products that get occasional patches; they're constantly evolving projects, frequently updated with a steady stream of improvements and additions.

Today, live-service games are some of the biggest in the industry, and it seems like just about everyone is trying to make one. That's led to a very oversaturated market, and a lot of flops like Anthem or the infamous Concord. With so many options available for players, developers have to fiercely compete for their time with rapid content updates and lightning-fast fixes for gameplay and technical issues.

One of the largest, most-successful franchises in the space — and in all of gaming in general — is Call of Duty, Activision's juggernaut FPS series that's now under Microsoft's Xbox banner. Call of Duty routinely brings in huge revenue and drives tons of player engagement on consoles, and as I write this, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and the free-to-play battle royale experience Call of Duty: Warzone is kicking off a gigantic Season 2 update, complete with a stacked roadmap and tons of Battle Pass content.

Ahead of its arrival, I had the opportunity to sit down with developer Treyarch's senior director of production Yale Miller and design director Matt Scronce to discuss the development of Black Ops 7 and Warzone, and how the Call of Duty team adapts to the challenges of keeping players satisfied with regular live-service updates.

A balance of early planning and flexibility is key

"For us, it all starts with planning. The volume of content we deliver takes far longer than the window between launch and when players actually see it. A lot of this work begins six to eight months earlier, sometimes more," Miller told me. "Live seasons aren’t an afterthought. You can’t finish the game and then start thinking about post-launch. Players don’t want to wait three or four weeks for something new, and many of them focus on just one mode. Whether it’s Multiplayer, Zombies, or something else, you have to keep delivering."

"Our goal is to have at least Seasons 1 and 2 largely built and playable early [before launch], even if they’re not final. That way we can make meaningful changes," he continued. "It’s about getting content 80 to 90 percent of the way there, then using that last stretch for polish and iteration."

But while the team strives to put together the bulk of upcoming seasons far in advance, it also has to stay "flexible," and be ready to make adjustments based on player feedback given in the current season. That might mean reevaluating plans for different types of post-launch content, for example.

"We see feedback quickly. We do early balance passes, tuning weapons and attachments within the first few weeks. That new meta then feeds directly back into how we approach the post-launch weapons we already had planned," Scronce explained. "It’s layered ... I’d say flexible more than reactive. We build flexibility into the process."

"We’re constantly looking at feedback, whether that’s social media, community reports, or what our PR teams surface. And honestly, a lot of us are just playing the game. You’ll have someone stop by your desk and say, 'Hey, these Akita Akimbos are overpowered in Face Off,'" he added. "That kind of feedback matters. This is a living game, and we treat it that way."

Player critique and criticism is very important for the developers' creative process, as it gives them critical guidance on the types of changes or additions it needs to implement. By constantly gathering it, the team can make sure its content updates — and future titles — aren't just coming at a steady cadence, but are delivering what fans want as well.

"Nothing is ever really done. Even when content ships, that’s just step one. Some teams see launch as the finish line. For us, it’s the starting gun," Miller chimed in. "That’s when players jump in, feedback starts rolling in, and everything accelerates. You’re running the race while adjusting your stride. What are players loving? What’s not landing? What can we improve?"

"Some things landed immediately, some were more mixed, and that helps guide what we double down on next season. We also carry those learnings forward, not just season to season, but into how we think about future games."

How does Endgame shake things up?

Another topic of our chat was Endgame — Black Ops 7's brand new open-world co-op PvE experience that supports lobbies of up to 32 players and tasks them with completing missions and boss fights to earn loot before extracting. Endgame is a huge new addition that Treyarch and co-developer Raven Software have made a core pillar of the game alongside campaign, multiplayer, and Zombies mode, so I was curious to learn if it's shaken up the development process.

"When we committed to Endgame, we knew it would be a long-term live experience. We knew we couldn’t just put it out and that’s that," Scronce said. "We had experience from modes like Outbreak and MWZ [previous PvE offerings], so we understood what we were signing up for."

"It does require dedicated teams and resources ... A lot of the folks who worked on the co-op campaign transitioned onto Endgame, so there’s continuity there. That familiarity and excitement carries forward," he continued.

"One of the cool things about Endgame is the variety. Some content is more open-ended and systemic, like exploring Avalon. Other pieces, like Glitches or quest-style content, are more structured and almost campaign-like," Miller added.

"We match work to teams based on strengths. Some groups are great at systemic gameplay. Others excel at more scripted experiences. That flexibility lets people stretch creatively while playing to what they’re best at," he noted. "For developers who traditionally worked on campaign, it’s exciting to work on something that keeps evolving. It’s not a finished movie. It’s a story that keeps going."

I asked how we might see Endgame evolve over time, and if the devs plan to use it as a vehicle for further storytelling and exploration of Black Ops' lore post-campaign. Ultimately, though, it's been designed as a mode that facilitates players telling their own story through memorable gameplay experiences.

"With Endgame, the focus is gameplay first. There are narrative anchors, callbacks, and moments of nostalgia ... But a lot of the story is about player experience. Building your Operator, tackling difficult content with a crew, progressing through new systems," explained Miller.

"There may be smaller story payoffs along the way, but the heart of it is players creating their own stories together."

Devs "stagger time off" to keep up the pace

Overall, the team is very proud of how it's managed to stay on top of the never-ending demands of live-service development, and of the depth of content it's been able to deliver to many different types of players.

"One thing I’ll add is how many different player types we’re designing for. Even within Multiplayer, you have players who only play Face Off Moshpit and hit Prestige Master there. Others live in core 6v6, or the new 20v20 Skirmish mode," said Scronce.

"Then you’ve got Ranked Play coming, which brings a completely different mindset. Zombies players, Endgame players, Warzone players. It’s a huge web of experiences. Coordinating all of that across teams is something we’re really proud of, and honestly, we probably don’t stop to acknowledge it enough," he admitted.

But with all the talk of how the Call of Duty team is constantly hard at work creating new content and improving existing offerings, I couldn't help but conclude our interview asking how it maintains that pace without "crunch" and burnout.

"People sometimes ask if we get a break after launch. We view launch as course one. There are half-seasons, updates, events. The work really ramps up," Miller said.

"We stagger time off so people can rest without the studio ever fully stopping. Everyone gets breaks, but the studio keeps moving," he added. "We got a little bit of an extended break over Christmas, but you still need people to push playlist updates, there are launch rooms as we release new playlists, events, all of those types of things."

"If you invest in a Call of Duty game, you should feel like you’re getting a full year of meaningful new content. And we plan to keep delivering on that."

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is available across Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, PS5, and PS4 for $69.99 ($45.49 on Steam thanks to a deal), while Call of Duty: Warzone is free-to-play on these platforms. On Xbox, PC, and Xbox Cloud Gaming, it's also available to play through PC Game Pass or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

What are your thoughts on Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Warzone, and the live-service cadence their developers are maintaining? Do you like live-service games in general? Let me know in the comments.

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