Key Highlights:
- Call of Duty Black Ops 7 is the 22nd mainline entry in the Call of Duty franchise.
- The franchise seems to be preferring quantity over quality at this point.
- Activision needs to go back to the drawing board.
Call of Duty as a franchise has grown leaps and bounds in terms of its popularity and overall user base, and perhaps a bit too much for its own good at times. The franchise has undoubtedly seen better days, and the middling nature of it is perhaps a symptom of releasing too many games in a rather short period of time.
This has resulted in some rather divisive titles, including the recently released Black Ops 7, which is alleged to be the epitome of mediocrity and lazy game work.
Black Ops 7 Is the 22nd Major Call of Duty Release So Far
It’s hard to believe we’ve seen over 20 years of Call of Duty releases at this point. The original Call of Duty was released as a military action FPS, and quickly grew to become one of the most popular video games franchises on the planet.
This was especially evident with the release of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, a video game that defined a generation. Since then, Call of Duty has always released a mainline title every year, with the recently released Black Ops 7 being the twenty second entry, and also perhaps one of the more controversial ones to date.
After all, despite favorable reviews from critics, Black Ops 7 continues to be plagued by a declining player base (as seen by recent SteamDB charts, which are indicative of PC players – on Steam) and what can be best described as slopification.
In trying to reinvent the wheel and appeal to the masses, Call of Duty has become a former shell of itself, and is barely distinguishable from any other FPS/Battle Royale game out there.
With 22 yearly Call of Duty releases to date, it is about time that the team went back to the drawing board, and focus on delivering a clean, cohesive game that does not cut corners in an attempt to make a quick buck.
Call of Duty Needs to Recalibrate
With so many back to back releases in the admittedly massively popular video game franchise, it’s obvious that the team has gone awry over time, being led astray. The developers need to recalibrate and come up with a way to freshen up the next game, which might prove to be a difficult task.
One could even say that Call of Duty is underperforming as of late, as seen painfully in its recent SteamDB charts, which places it several tiers below its rival, Battlefield 6, which has since had a renaissance and managed to become one of the best first person shooters of the year and an excellent Battlefield title in its own right.
One of the major talking points of Black Ops 7 was in its egregious use of AI generated assets, most of which were of subpar quality. After its discovery, the news spread through social media and had some well deserved backlash.
Also Read: Call of Duty Black Ops 7 Weapons Tier List: Best Guns For Every Playstyle
That was only the tip of the iceberg though, as players got their hands on the campaign, which has also since been heavily criticized, feeling disconnected and is reminiscent of an average, AI slop-ridden game that makes heavy use of recycled assets.
This is the current state of Call of Duty, and fans aren’t too happy with this either. Players across the globe have been quite vocal about these complaints, and now might be a good time to go back to the drawing board.
It’s time for Activision to figure out what made Call of Duty great in the first place, by sticking to their roots and ensuring the release of a polished, proper product. Even if it means ditching yearly releases.
