Call of Duty Black Ops 7 will be the first instalment in the legendary series created under the supervision of Xbox, which acquired Activision-Blizzard for $69 billion in 2023.
It's not been a heartening year for Xbox — layoffs, studio closures, price increases and project cancellations. 2025, more than any other year, seems to represent the end of Microsoft's rivalry with Sony, and the console wars as we once knew them.
Call of Duty is a potential bright spot for Xbox. It's a hugely popular series with a long history of annual revenue and massive brand awareness. However, the beta for Black Ops 7 wasn't particularly popular, and Treyarch is worried about series fatigue.
Glen Schofield, veteran developer and founder of Sledgehammer Games, recently had an interview with VGC where he expressed his "immense worry" about Call of Duty under Xbox.
"Unfortunately, once you're assimilated by one of those companies, I think you take on some of their traits," Schofield explained. "The other thing is, I don't know, but I would imagine the Call of Duty bonus system is out, and now you have theirs, and people are going to go 'that isn't that.'"
Schofield was the co-director of Call...
