Activision is shaking up the Call of Duty formula with a massive promise, no more consecutive Modern Warfare or Black Ops releases.
Call of Duty: "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." https://t.co/RennrQ3AM0 pic.twitter.com/aPjVjz60FZ
— Wario64 (@Wario64) December 10, 2025
For years from 2005 to 2022 CoD stuck to a smart rhythm, alternating lead developers like Infinity Ward and Treyarch, flipping between Modern Warfare and Black Ops vibes (with Sledgehammer jumping in occasionally). No two MWs or BOs in a row.
Then it broke. MW2 (2022) → MW3 (2023). Fast forward: Black Ops 6 (Oct 2024) → Black Ops 7 (Nov 14, 2025). Rumours swirled that MW3 started as DLC before ballooning into a full $70 title.
Black Ops 7’s Brutal Reality Check
Black Ops 7 tanked hard. With the campaign being one of the series worst, co-op mess with no AI squadmates, always online nonsense, reused maps like Avalon, and cringey bosses like tree demons? Flying spiders?). Multiplayer’s solid, Zombies shines, but overall? Mostly Negative reviews on Steam.
What has hit them worse this year is the success of Battlefield 6 crushed October 2025 sales, best seller of the year in one month, topping BF1’s lifetime haul.
Admission of Guilt
This pivot screams “We messed up” from Activision. Back to backs felt like lazy expansions, killing freshness. They vow “meaningful innovation, not incremental” and won’t let BO7 fade after a year.
Solid start, but here’s the real fix, they need to ditch annual releases. Battlefield waited 4 years post 2042 flop and dropped a monster. Give devs time to iterate, BO6’s killer campaign got trashed in the rushed sequel.
