Call of Duty: Black Ops 7’s announcement was not met with the warmest reception. As a back-to-back sequel to last year’sCall of Duty: Black Ops 6, sentiment online has turned out very similar toCall of Duty: Modern Warfare III. Also a back-to-back sequel, Modern Warfare III was viewed by many as an expansion to 2022’sCall of Duty: Modern Warfare II. Treyarch doesn’t feel that way. At the studio, the developer provided an in-depth look at Campaign, Multiplayer and Zombies to showcase just how different Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is from Black Ops 6. What we saw looks good and shakes the “expansion” narrative that beset Modern Warfare III. To learn more about how the games differ, the approach to map design, and why Treyarch opted to bring back certain legacy features over others, we sat down with Design Director Matt Schrantz and Senior Director of Production Yale Miller.
[Hardcore Gamer] 2025 marks the second time we’ve seen a back-to-back sequel in the Call of Duty franchise. Last time with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, we saw the community online adopt the idea that it was merely an expansion for Modern Warfare III. Going into Black Ops 7 right after Black Ops 6, what was the thought process behind making sure the community didn’t see this as just an expansion for Black Ops 6?
[Yale Miller] We had a clear vision from the start about what each Black Ops title was going to be like. We’re trying to make it clear that this is its own experience. Some of the things that we’re doing with Black Ops 7, like the whole ‘Embrace the Madness’ angle and bringing back Black Ops II features and content are helping us set this game apart from last year’s. Then there’s the era, which is so different from Black Ops 6. We always went in wanting both games to be unique experiences and I think we’ve made a banger of a game that stands on its own.
[Matt Schrantz] Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 was the first Black Ops game on the shared engine. We had to redefine what it meant to be a Black Ops game from the ground-up. Now we feel confident about our toolset and don’t have to worry about redefining that with Black Ops 7. We know what works and what didn’t from Black Ops 6, so instead of worrying about rebuilding everything from the ground up, we can push and refine to create a different, unique experience.
AreBlack Ops IIIandBlack Ops 4still canon? Black Ops 7 is pushing quite close to Black Ops 4’s timeline, but you didn’t mention how these games fit into the entire narrative? Will we see set-ups for those games in Black Ops 7’s campaign?
[Miller] We do care about the canon, absolutely, and Black Ops III isn’t invalidated by any means. With Black Ops 4, the tech and movement stuff in Black Ops 7 might potentially evolve into the stuff from that game. What’s being done in Black Ops 7 is our take on what 2035 might be like. So, since we’re not as far into the future as III, a wall jump makes sense versus wall running. There was a lot of debate around when to set Black Ops 7, but 2035 just felt like a good spot to set a game that can still respect the canon and allow us to build the story we want.
Let’s pivot to maps. At launch, there was a lot of criticism leveled at the map design for their size and lane structure. What’s been your approach to addressing this criticism for Black Ops 7’s launch maps?
[Schrantz] Yeah, I’m very much on the internet and have read and seen all that. We’re very happy with what we delivered in Black Ops 6 at launch and post-launch. That said, we have so many players with different tastes and we’re working to ensure there’s something there for everyone. For Black Ops 7, we’re really trying to go back to that signature Treyarch map design with three clear lanes, tight corner placement for clear engagements. We’re hoping to make new classics.
I’m happy to see that Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is very much its own thing across campaign, multiplayer and Zombies. Still, you are looking to previous games for inspiration. What has been your philosophy on what features to bring back versus which to leave behind? For example, keeping Gunsmith over bringing back Pick 10, or choosing a Wall Jump rather than Wall Running?
[Miller] I think it goes back to the question about what makes sense in the 2035 setting. There’s always a lot of back and forth discussions on a lot of mechanics, both in our games as well as those in the industry.
[Schrantz] We didn’t want to just remake Black Ops II. Black Ops 7 is meant to be an addition to the series. As for Pick 10, it’s a debate we have every single Black Ops game, and there are some on the team that want it to come back. However, we haven’t gone back to it yet because I’m not convinced it’s better. There’s an argument to be made that the trade-offs people have to make with Pick 10 are good, but at the same time, now I have to put more thought into my loadout creation. Right now, with Gunsmith, I can just go in and fill up my slots easily. Now, this isn’t to say we’re never revisiting Pick 10, but I think we’re doing exactly what makes sense for Black Ops 7. The same is true of wall running. That made sense for 2065 when Black Ops III took place. You had the DNI and bionic augmentations that made wall-running possible. In 2035, we’re still humans. Evolving Omnimovement and adding the wall jump just made a bit more sense for this game.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7launches November 14 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PS4 and Xbox One. To learn of Duty: Black Ops 7, be sure to check out our previews of theCampaign,MultiplayerandZombies.
