By Activision has announced a major shift for its signature “Call of Duty” franchise following the tepid response to this year’s “Call of Duty: Black Ops 7”.
In an announcement on the official site, the game publisher has confirmed they will no longer make back-to-back “Call of Duty” games in the same series.
The franchise had generally staggered entries across sub-franchises: a Modern Warfare entry would be followed by a Black Ops entry, then by a new standalone entry, before starting over again.
Things changed in 2023 when the prior year’s “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II” was followed by “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III”. In 2024 came “Call of Duty: Black Ops 6” leading into this year’s “Call of Duty: Black Ops 7”.
The announcement follows a weak year for the franchise, with a sense of fatigue among parts of the player base. They say in the statement:
“We will no longer do back-to-back releases of Modern Warfare or Black Ops games. The reasons are many, but the main one is to ensure we provide an absolutely unique experience each and every year. We will drive innovation that is meaningful, not incremental. While we aren’t sharing those plans today, we look forward to doing so when the time is right.
To be clear, the future of Call of Duty is very strong and we believe our best days are ahead of us given the depth and talent of our development teams. We have been building the next era of Call of Duty, and it will deliver precisely on what you want along with some surprises that push the Franchise and the genre forward. We look forward to welcoming you in, listening to you, and moving forward together.”
The company added it’s fully committed to supporting “Call of Duty: Black Ops 7” with seasonal updates, even as the overall response to the game has been mixed. From its always-online campaign that doesn’t allow pausing, to an overbearing matchmaking system, tech and performance issues, AI art slop controversy, and multiple stories about sales and engagement stats being down on its predecessor.
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