Activision has revealed this year's premium release in the massively popular Call of Duty franchise during the Xbox Games Showcase: Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.
Developed by Treyarch and Raven Software, Black Ops 7 will mark the first time the Black Ops series has had titles released consecutively — a notable change in the annual release cycle that Activision first attempted when by launching Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022, from Infinity Ward) and Modern Warfare 3 (2023, from Sledgehammer Games) within a year of each other.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 will once again thrust players into a mind-bending campaign woven together with conspiracy theories, psychological warfare, and ample violence. The campaign is a continuation of the storyline originally set in motion in Black Ops 2 and expanded on in Black Ops 6.
However, the timeline shifts from the 1990s to 2035, bringing near-futuristic gameplay back to the mix. David Mason, the son of former Black Ops protagonist Alex Mason (who is canonically dead in the current timeline), will head a team of agents in the fight against the returning foe, Raul Menendez.
The full Call of Duty package
It delivers the full Call of Duty package for our players, and we can't wait to show the community more of what the studio teams have been working on when we reveal later this summer.
Matt Cox, General Manager of Call of Duty
While we're unlikely to see Black Ops 7 return to the extreme futuristic movement of Black Ops 4, which was set in the 2040s, there is the potential for the game to build on the omnimovement system introduced with Black Ops 6. There have been rumors swirling around that the ability for operators to wall run had been uncovered within the game files for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 following a seasonal update.
Despite futuristic gun play and movement staying on the table, some early rumors about Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 can now be officially debunked. Most notably is the rumor that the game was set to be an expansion for the Black Ops 6 campaign, as opposed to a full launch.
An official blog post from the Call of Duty team put those rumors to rest, with Call of Duty General Manager Matt Cox sharing a statement about the intent behind the consecutive Black Ops releases. “The Black Ops universe is amazing. The creativity and imagination that goes into the storytelling, the rich character depth, and the incredible moment-to-moment gameplay across all modes is really exceptional. As a team, our vision from the start was to create a back-to-back series experience for our players that embraced the uniqueness of the Black Ops sub-franchise," Cox said.
“It delivers the full Call of Duty package for our players, and we can't wait to show the community more of what the studio teams have been working on when we reveal later this summer.”
"Our official teaser sets the tone for players to embrace the madness that’s incoming with Black Ops 7’s story,” says Tyler Bahl, Head of Activision Publishing and Marketing, in a statement on the Call of Duty blog. “Delivering consecutive Black Ops games also allows our teams the tremendous opportunity to tap not only into our own creativity but also embrace the shift from a ’90s setting to the new 2035 future setting within our marketing."
The teaser cinematic for Black Ops 7 and subsequent intel drop from the team did provide us a few glimpses into what we can expect for Black Ops 7 ahead of a full reveal. The game's campaign will be available to play as a single player or cooperatively, a feature that has only occurred in a rare handful of Call of Duty titles (all of which were developed by Treyarch, coincidentally.)
The first look at Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 still leaves the community with even more questions than it answered. "The full reveal of Black Ops 7 is coming later this summer, so the community should be on the lookout for teases, clues, and the surprises that the Black Ops series is known for," said Bahl. "It’s an exciting time as we prepare for a new Call of Duty reveal, and the next great experience to come.”
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is confirmed to release on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and on PC via Xbox PC, Battle.net, and Steam. The game will also be available to Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers on day one at no extra cost.
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