In a blog post on the Call of Duty website, publisher Activision directly addressed the fact that there has been a growing conversation around Call of Duty having an identity crisis, and confirmed that "operators, operator skins, and weapons from Black Ops 6 will no longer carry forward into Black Ops 7."
It's a bit of a surprising move, in a sense, because the idea that Call of Duty is not what it once was is a conversation that's been around since we started to see celebrity operator skins and fictional characters added into the game like it was a more realistically stylized version of Fortnite. It's not exactly a new talking point.
But now that Battlefield 6 has stormed in and proved that there are thousands, if not millions, of players, who don't care about playing as Cheech and Chong, Rambo, or Nicki Minaj in their realistic military FPS, Activision is ready to try and prove that Call of Duty hasn't forgotten its roots.
"We know there's been a lot of conversation recently about the identity of Call of Duty. Some of you have said we've drifted from what made Call of Duty unique in the first place: immersive, intense, visceral and in many ways grounded. That feedback hits home, and we take it seriously. We hear you," the post reads.
It continues to say that the "north star" for Treyarch and Raven in developing Black Ops 7 has been to create a spiritual successor to Black Ops 2, which remains one of the more beloved games in the entire Call of Duty series. That's been the goal, but Activision stipulates they've strived for that "while taking some big swings."
Whether Treyarch and Raven achieve in creating a Black Ops 2 spiritual successor remains to be seen, but in regards to giving Black Ops 7 its own spotlight, that's where cancelling the carry forward with Black Ops 6 comes in.
"Black Ops 7 needs to feel authentic to Call of Duty and its setting," Activision writes. "That is why Black Ops 6 Operator and Weapon content will not carry forward to Black Ops 7." Warzone will remain the Call of Duty melting pot it is though, as Activision confirms that Warzone "is not affected" by this change, and that you'll still be able to access your Black Ops 6 operators, skins, and weapons, in Warzone.
The blog post continues to say that we'll have more information on how Black Ops 7 will retain the Call of Duty identity as an "immersive, intense, visceral and in many ways grounded" shooter in the coming weeks, and reminds readers that Call of Duty NEXT will take place on September 30, which will include the multiplayer reveal for Black Ops 7 ahead of its first beta the following weekend.
This post might be what Activision thinks Call of Duty players want to hear, but those actually concerned that the series has lost its identity won't be satisfied with words alone. Those minds will be shifted by actions alone, and we'll see how Activision approaches its collaborations for Black Ops 7, and if players will continue to run around dressed up as celebrities and cartoon characters in multiplayer matches. Not that there's anything necessarily wrong with that, but there's a clear subset of the Call of Duty community that could do without it.
Besides, not once in this post does Activision say they won't be doing that with Black Ops 7, and with the no-carry forward not applying to Warzone, players looking for that experience will likely still find it there.
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