With Modern Warfare 3 (2023) and Black Ops 7 being two of the worst-received Call of Duty games, Activision has stated that it will not be making any more games under its Call of Duty sub-franchises in the future.
In a blog post about the future of the series, the Call of Duty team starts off by saying “thank you all for the feedback we’ve received over the last few months,” which is a nice way of saying it. “Call of Duty has achieved long-term success thanks to all of you, a passionate community that demands excellence and deserves nothing less. We also know that for some of you, the franchise has not fully met your expectations. To be clear, we know what you expect, and we can be confident that we will meet and exceed those expectations over time.”
Of course, next year means giving Black Ops 7 the support it needs to keep up with COD in 2026. That’s why they’ll be hosting a free trial of Black Ops 7 multiplayer and Zombies mode next week, alongside the Double XP weekend.
“We would like you to experience the game for yourself and make your own decision,” they say, and that is why they consider two of the game’s strongest sides. It is the story campaign that has received the harshest criticism, while the multiplayer mode is a continuation of Black Ops 6 and remains the beating heart of the series.
What’s more, they promise “unprecedented” support through seasonal content: “Season 01 is the biggest live season ever, and we’re just getting started. We won’t stop until Black Ops 7 takes its place as one of the best Black Ops games we’ve ever made.”
But the bottom line is that they won’t be releasing any more Modern Warfare or Black Ops games, which has led to dismal reviews and a wave of negativity towards the series. The team promises:
- We will not be releasing any more Modern Warfare or Black Ops games. There are many reasons, but the most crucial is that we provide an absolutely unique experience every year.
- We will introduce innovations that make a difference, not incremental ones. While we’re not sharing these plans today, we look forward to doing so when the time comes.
Black Ops 7 was yet another disappointment following last year’s highs of Black Ops 6. Even though Activision teams talked about how both games were being developed around the same time, the campaign was a huge disappointment, focusing solely on co-op, recreating the hits of Black Ops 2 in an unsatisfying way, and casting a pallor over the series just as shooter rivals like Battlefield 6 and ARC Raiders emerged.
In our review, I said: “Black Ops 7 really highlights the difficulties of Call of Duty’s annual release schedule and its sequel sub-series. It’s certainly not as rushed as Modern Warfare III, that’s for sure, but it’s not a cohesive experience either. Multiplayer and Zombies are a solid follow-up to last year, but there’s not a lot of excitement, especially after the energy-draining co-op campaign and The End.”
Source: Call of Duty
