‘Call of Duty’ Ends Back-to-Back 'Modern Warfare,' 'Black Ops' Releases
Activision pledges a reset for its flagship shooter, promising unique yearly entries and meaningful innovation after ‘Black Ops 7.’
Summary
- Call of Duty is officially ending its back-to-back release cycle for sub-series like Modern Warfare and Black Ops after the launch of Black Ops 7
- The strategic pivot is aimed at delivering an “absolutely unique experience each and every year” and focusing on “innovation that is meaningful, not incremental”
- To address Black Ops 7‘s reception, Activision is launching a week-long free trial for Multiplayer and Zombies, promising “unprecedented seasonal support.”
Call of Duty is finally breaking its rinse-and-repeat cycle. After the lukewarm, controversy-heavy launch of Black Ops 7, Activision has confirmed it will stop doing back-to-back entries in the same sub-series like Modern Warfare and Black Ops.
The shift comes via an unusually candid post on the official Call of Duty blog, where the team admits the franchise “has not met your expectations fully” and promises to “deliver, and overdeliver” on what players want. Core to the new playbook is a return to variety. Activision says it “will no longer do back-to-back releases of Modern Warfare or Black Ops games,” with the main goal to provide an “absolutely unique experience each and every year” “will no longer do back-to-back releases of Modern Warfare or Black Ops games,” with the main goal to provide an “absolutely unique experience each and every year”.
The brand is also talking bigger about innovation. Future entries are being framed around “innovation that is meaningful, not incremental,” hinting at deeper mechanical and structural changes rather than just another seasonal skin cycle “innovation that is meaningful, not incremental,”.
In the short term, Activision is trying to rehabilitate Black Ops 7 with a week-long free trial for Multiplayer and Zombies plus Double XP, backed by what it calls “unprecedented seasonal support” to push the game toward “one of the best Black Ops” status.
