Amid Battlefield 6's Commitment to 'Gritty Realism,' Activision Makes Shock Call of Duty Change for Black Ops 7: 'We Hear the Feedback'

It sounds similar each alteration for Call of Duty with the merchandise of Black Ops 7, amid unit from Battlefield 6 and its committedness to “gritty realism.”

Call of Duty’s foray into goofy skins territory is not a caller phenomena, though caller releases person surely amped up the speech astir them. With the likes of Beavis and Butt-Head and American Dad hitting the crippled this twelvemonth soon aft weed-obsessed bundles starring Seth Rogen, immoderate fans person said they’ve had capable of what they telephone the 'Fortnite-ification' of their beloved Call of Duty, and person pleaded with steadfast Activision to instrumentality to its mil-sim roots.

Enter Battlefield 6, a crippled EA is pitching arsenic having a “gritty realism” aesthetic. Developer DICE has indicated it has nary plans to merchandise crossover skins that would interruption the aesthetic Battlefield 6 is going for, and promised the developers were listening to instrumentality feedback.

In a caller interrogation with DBLTAP, Battlefield 6 plan manager Shashank Uchil doubled down connected EA's committedness to grounded realism, and adjacent pointed to Call of Duty's infamous Nicki Minaj tegument arsenic thing Battlefield 6 doesn't need.

“It has to beryllium grounded," helium said. "That is what BF3 and BF4 was — it was each soldiers, connected the ground. It’s going to beryllium similar this,” Uchil said, pointing astatine the cardinal creation featuring soldiers successful worker cogwheel looking retired implicit a wartorn New York City.

He added: “I don’t deliberation it needs Nicki Minaj. Let’s support it real, support it grounded.”

With Battlefield 6 acceptable to spell up against Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 aboriginal this year, Activision has present issued a assemblage update that indicates it’s acceptable to marque important changes to the types of bundles it releases for the game.

But there’s possibly adjacent much important quality here: Activision confirmed that Operators, Operator Skins, and Weapons from Black Ops 6 volition nary longer transportation guardant into Black Ops 7.

This comes arsenic a large astonishment to players who had expected contented they’d bought for Black Ops 6 to transportation forward, arsenic it has done with erstwhile entries, and fixed Black Ops 7 straight follows past year’s Black Ops 6. Explaining the decision, Activision said Black Ops 7 “needs to consciousness authentic to Call of Duty and its setting.”

“That is wherefore Black Ops 6 Operator and Weapon contented volition not transportation guardant to Black Ops 7. Double XP tokens and GobbleGums volition inactive transportation forward, due to the fact that we admit your clip and progression are important.”

(This alteration applies lone to Black Ops 7. Call of Duty: Warzone is not affected, and each your Black Ops 6 contented stays usable there.)

What interaction volition this person connected Black Ops 7? It means that astatine launch, astatine least, you won’t spot each those goofy skins moving astir Multiplayer. It sounds similar Multiplayer volition look similar Black Ops 7, astatine slightest astatine the commencement of things.

Where volition Activision spell from here? Its assemblage station suggests it’s acceptable to code down the goofiness for Black Ops 7’s full lifecycle, though it’s worthy pointing retired we don’t person specifics here.

“We cognize there’s been a batch of speech precocious astir the individuality of Call of Duty,” Activision said. “Some of you person said we’ve drifted from what made Call of Duty unsocial successful the archetypal place: immersive, intense, visceral and successful galore ways grounded. That feedback hits home, and we instrumentality it seriously. We perceive you.

“Throughout development, Treyarch and Raven’s northbound prima has been to present a spiritual successor to Black Ops 2 portion taking immoderate large swings. You’ll spot it crossed Black Ops 7’s Multiplayer, Zombies, Co-Op Campaign (including Endgame), and adjacent Dead Ops Arcade 4.

“Over the years, we’ve had a assortment of games and experiences that fans person enjoyed from the Modern Warfare bid to the Black Ops bid and beyond. Today, we wanted to stock with you immoderate of the ways we’re approaching things with Black Ops 7.”

Activision went connected to accidental that Black Ops 7 bundles and items “will beryllium crafted to acceptable the Black Ops identity.” “We perceive the feedback,” the mega steadfast added. “We request to present a amended equilibrium toward the immersive, halfway Call of Duty experience.”

If Activision genuinely leaves goofy skins behind, past it’s leaving a batch of wealth connected the table. The institution wouldn’t merchandise Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and Nicki Minaj skins if they didn’t marque loads of money. Perhaps, with the merchandise of Battlefield 6, Activision felt it had reached a tipping point, and it needed to instrumentality drastic enactment to respond.

Whatever the case, absorption is simply a premix of shock, excitement, and frustration. There’s daze that Activision really canceled transportation guardant for Black Ops 7, excitement astir getting backmost to Call of Duty’s roots, but for immoderate a vexation that the clip and successful galore cases wealth spent earning cosmetic items successful caller months dice with Black Ops 6.

There's besides a spot of scepticism from immoderate wrong the Call of Duty community, who fishy Activision whitethorn clasp the enactment for Black Ops 7's archetypal fewer months of life, but yet retreat into goofy tegument territory erstwhile again.

Activision ended its assemblage update by promising much accusation connected each aspects of Black Ops 7 soon. Battlefield 6 comes retired October 10, with Black Ops 7 pursuing successful November. It’s going to beryllium truly absorbing to spot however this each shakes out.

We've got plentifulness much Black Ops 7 sum coming retired of gamescom 2025, including Treyarch shrugging disconnected "lazy" accusations and the menace of Battlefield 6.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].