To the surprise of almost no one, Microsoft and Activision unveiled the next installment in their annualized Call of Duty franchise, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, at the Xbox Games Showcase a few weeks ago. The reveal of the game was met with little fanfare, since many gamers were disappointed at the fact that Microsoft presented it at the end of its event, a time slot that was normally reserved for major announcements. The Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 reveal trailer featured very little gameplay, instead focusing on a cinematic story teaser. Despite the many negative reactions to it online, the game’s announcement trailer was watched by tens of millions of people, making it one of the fastest-viewed trailers in CoD history.
Contrary to its name, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is not a direct sequel to last year’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Instead, it is a follow-up to Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, which was originally released in 2012. Black Ops 7 is being developed by Treyarch and Raven Software, and it’s going to be set in 2035, in a world that is on the brink of all-out war. It will follow David Mason and his group of agents as they go on a “mind-bending” mission to defeat an enemy who, as Activision states, “weaponizes fear above all else.”
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Call of Duty Fans Seem to Be More Excited for Black Ops 7 Than They Were For Black Ops 6
One major factor shows that Call of Duty players around the world are seemingly more excited for Black Ops 7 than they were for its predecessor.
CoD: Black Ops 7 and Battlefield 6 Are Going to be Targeting the Same Audience
For the First Time in Years, Battlefield May Pose a Serious Threat to Call of Duty
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is coming out at an interesting time for the Call of Duty franchise. In spite of the many complaints that have been thrown at it, Call of Duty has remained unrivaled in the online first-person shooter space for many years. Call of Duty‘s biggest rival, the Battlefield series, has fallen out of popularity in recent times, due to the catastrophic launch of Battlefield 2042. However, Battlefield is gearing up to make a return in the near future, and the next installment in the franchise may give Black Ops 7 a run for its money.
Battlefield 6 Seems Like It Could Be a Major Hit for EA and DICE
The next Battlefield game doesn’t have an official name yet. However, unlike many of the newer entries in the Battlefield series, which opted for either sci-fi or historical settings, EA and DICE have already confirmed that it is going to take place in the near future. Reports suggest that Battlefield 6 (as it is colloquially called) will apparently follow a massive military group that’s fighting against NATO, and it will take players on a journey through a number of locations around the world.
EA and DICE are going to be taking a back-to-basics approach with Battlefield 6. They’re not only employing a more traditional formula for the campaign and multiplayer modes of the next Battlefield game, they’re also getting rid of many of the controversial features that were introduced in Battlefield 2042. EA has held closed betas for Battlefield 6 over the last few months, and so far, reception has been largely positive. Battlefield 6‘s full reveal will supposedly happen later this summer, and it’s currently scheduled to come out before March 2026.
The Similarities Between Black Ops 7 and Battlefield 6 May Impact Their Commercial Performance
The current head of the Battlefield franchise, Vince Zampella, claimed in an interview with IGN last year that EA is not “looking to take down Call of Duty” with the next Battlefield game. Rather, the company is looking to differentiate Battlefield from Activision’s long-running series. In spite of his statements, though, the similarities between Battlefield 6 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 are hard to ignore. Since both titles are going to feature a near-future setting and will be launched only a few months apart from each other, there’s going to be a lot of overlap between the target audiences for these two games. If Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 isn’t as good as people are hoping for, then there’s a chance that Battlefield 6 will be able to steal its thunder, even if just for a short while.