Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 had its official gameplay reveal yesterday during Gamescom Opening Night Live 2025. It's a bizarre-looking game, coming out just a year after its predecessor, and you'll be happy to know that all your Black Ops 6 cosmetics and tokens will be carrying over – so your money hasn't been wasted. Yes, even the Beavis and Butt-Head skin. But the developers are aware not everyone likes the IP soup Call of Duty has become, and they're working on finding a balance.
When Black Ops 7's reveal trailer went live last night, plenty of online commentators lamented how Call of Duty has completely lost its visual identity. I blame Fortnite, but at least all the crossovers make sense in its cartoony, over-stylized world. EA has stated that Battlefield 6 will remain a more grounded military FPS, so what does the future of Call of Duty hold?
Black Ops 7 Carry Forward is happening.All current Double XP tokens and Gobblegums will be available day one in Black Ops 7, while operators, bundles, and other Black Ops 6 content will be added when Season 1 launches. pic.twitter.com/cxsZV63XytAugust 19, 2025
"Yeah, it's a good question, and we have thought about this, and I think if you look at us, we're always looking at community feedback," Miles Leslie, associate creative director of Black Ops 7, tells IGN.
The reason for all the skins is "We always try to make sure that we are trying to touch the widest audience," Leslie explains. "I've had the pleasure of working on Call of Duty now for almost 20 years, and we're constantly looking at ways to push into different audiences and fans, and that's what you saw with that; there are fans that really love it."
A lot of people must enjoy playing as Nicki Minaj or Jason Voorhees; otherwise, CoD wouldn't keep pumping out all these collaborations. But, as Battlefield 6's open beta numbers show, a lot of players also want a more grounded game.
"Obviously, there are fans who those may not be their favorite. We're going to try to calibrate that as we move forward, and we take that feedback seriously. But again, we are trying to make sure that all fans feel represented in the game and figuring out that tight balance is something we're paying attention to."
I'm not sure how it's possible to balance silly skins with military realism, but I'm excited to see what solution appears.
If you want to relive the series' heyday, check out our ranking of the best Call of Duty games.
