Clearly, all shouldn’t be nicely on the earth of Call of Obligation. Black Ops 7 seems to have struggled for gamers and gross sales comparatively talking amid robust competitors from the likes of EA’s Battlefield 6 and Embark Studios’ Arc Raiders, and popping out simply a 12 months after Black Ops 6. Microsoft is but to announce a participant depend or a gross sales determine for Black Ops 7, nor has it detailed any increase to Sport Move subscriber numbers as a consequence of its launch. Clearly, it hasn’t met its expectations.
Final month, gross sales information instructed Black Ops 7 was struggling not simply in opposition to rival shooter Battlefield 6, but additionally final 12 months’s Black Ops 6. The Game Business reported that Black Ops 7’s European launch noticed opening week gross sales down 63% versus Battlefield 6 throughout the equal launch intervals for every shooter, and Black Ops 7 additionally down by greater than 50% versus Black Ops 6. All in all, Black Ops 7 had a “horrible” launch, The Game Business’ chief Chris Dring said in a post on social media.
Then, in a shock growth, Activision promised by no means to launch Black Ops or Fashionable Warfare video games again to again once more. In a assertion attributed to “the Call of Obligation staff” (Treyarch, Sledgehammer, Infinity Ward, Raven Software program and co.), Activision admitted “that for some of you, the franchise has not met your expectations absolutely. To be very clear, we all know what you count on and relaxation assured we’ll ship, and overdeliver, on these expectations as we transfer ahead.”
Activision continued: “We’ll now not do back-to-back releases of Fashionable Warfare or Black Ops video games. The explanations are many, however the primary one is to guarantee we offer a completely distinctive expertise each 12 months. We’ll drive innovation that’s significant, not incremental. Whereas we aren’t sharing these plans immediately, we glance ahead to doing so when the time is true.”
Quick ahead to this week, and Xbox Sport Studios boss Matt Booty has painted a barely rosier image. When requested about Black Ops 7’s efficiency by Variety, Booty responded to verify that it is one of the most-played video games on Xbox proper now, and that he was proud of what the event staff was ready to obtain. He then stated Call of Obligation is “its personal distinctive class” as a result of of Activision’s potential to launch content material by way of a seasonal mannequin, so the launch isn’t the tip of Black Ops 7’s story.
Right here’s the quote in full:
“Proper now, it’s one of the most-played video games on Xbox. And I’m actually proud of what the staff did, in phrases of function innovation, transferring the franchise ahead. Transport a main franchise like clockwork yearly is a actually tough process, and I’m actually proud of what the staff did to transfer the franchise ahead in that approach.
“And the fascinating factor about Call of Obligation is, I feel that as an IP, it’s rather well positioned to proceed to ship content material for gamers going ahead; the system of seasons. And it’s not simply concerning the launch, however it’s sort of in its personal distinctive class and skill in phrases of how the staff retains delivering content material all year long. So we’re actual pleased with the place we’ve landed with that.”
Amid the doom and gloom, Microsoft has stated Call of Obligation (total) ended 2025 because the primary franchise on Sport Move for whole gamers and hours all 12 months, which maybe doesn’t come as a lot of a shock given that is Call of Obligation we’re speaking about. Nevertheless it does present that even when Call of Obligation has a dangerous 12 months relative to earlier video games within the collection, it is nonetheless massively well-liked relative to different video games.
Xbox Video games Sequence Tier Record
Xbox Video games Sequence Tier Record
Call of Obligation is now at one thing of a crossroads. 2026’s Call of Obligation sport is sort of definitely a continuation of Fashionable Warfare from Infinity Ward, however what’s going to 2027 convey? Black Ops 8? Activision’s failure to set up a third Call of Obligation sub-brand signifies that it has grow to be overly reliant on Fashionable Warfare and Black Ops to preserve the franchise going on the participant numbers executives demand. May Microsoft take the drastic step of giving Call of Obligation a 12 months off to get better from its current struggles? Given Microsoft paid $69 billion for Activision Blizzard, it appears unlikely.
As for Black Ops 7 within the right here and now, Activision has promised “unprecedented season help,” saying it “will not relaxation till Black Ops 7 earns its place as one of one of the best Black Ops video games we’ve ever made.”
Wesley is Director, Information at IGN. Discover him on Twitter at @wyp100. You possibly can attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.