Treyarch Studios has announced a major change in strategy for its upcoming game, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. The studio is canceling several high-profile collaborations originally planned for the title. This decision comes in response to significant community criticism about the tone of the previous game, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, which featured a large amount of often unrealistic cosmetic content.
The controversy arose from the volume and nature of the cross-promotional skins included during the 2024 game’s lifecycle. Collaborations with properties like Squid Game, Beavis & Butt-Head, and American Dad led many players to argue that the franchise was losing its military identity. Concerns grew that the series was sacrificing its serious tone for a more cartoonish style favored by competitors like Fortnite. This criticism put a lot of pressure on publisher Activision and the development teams to bring back a more serious look for the long-running series.
In an exclusive interview with CharlieIntel, Treyarch executives confirmed this shift in approach. When talking about the creative plans for the new game, a representative said, “There are opportunities that we have had lined up that, after some of our conversations, we straight up turned down.” This commitment to a more restrained content strategy indicates a strong effort to reduce, or even eliminate, the kinds of visual items that negatively impacted the reception of the previous game.
This move is not just a one-time thing but part of a larger commitment to realism for Black Ops 7. Earlier, Treyarch announced that it would not go ahead with the planned “Carry Forward” feature, which would have allowed players to bring all previously purchased cosmetics into the new game. This change was also driven by the goal of keeping the upcoming shooter tonally consistent. Interestingly, this return to the series’ roots aligns with rival franchise Battlefield’s aim to focus once again on a gritty, realistic shooter experience. It suggests a shift across the market away from chasing the latest trends in the military first-person genre.
