Black Ops 7 devs admit they’re worried about series fatigue after back-to-back games

The launch of Black Ops 7 will mark the first time that two Black Ops games have arrived back-to-back, and Treyarch devs have admitted that they’re a little worried about players growing tired of it.

In the past, Call of Duty would always alternate its different sub-series so that each new release brought a different flavor. However, in recent years, we’ve seen a slight shift, as Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare 2 (2022) and Modern Warfare 3 (2023) dropped one after another.

Now, Treyarch are following suit by releasing Black Ops 7 just one year on from Black Ops 6. But the prospect of another year in the same universe hasn’t gone down well with some fans, and the devs have revealed that they are worried about players becoming burnt out.

BO7 devs worried about being too similar to BO6

In an interview with CharlieIntel, Treyarch’s Senior Director of Production, Yale Miller, was asked if he was concerned about the two games being viewed as too similar, and he gave a candid answer.

“I think the honest answer is yes. I worry about that,” Miller said. “Obviously, there was a plan with the two MW games and then this. We’ll see what the franchise does in the future. We’re excited about the opportunities it gave us, but we’d all be dead lying if we said we weren’t worried about that.”

Activision

While there are some concerns there, they also reassured players they’re doing everything they can to distinguish BO7 from what came before and avoid fatigue, both in the 2035 setting and their post-launch plans.

“We’re absolutely going to bring it from a content perspective in our live seasons,” he continued. “How can we have new gameplay experiences? More content, more maps, weeklies, with functional stuff like deeper weapon prestige experiences.”

Although part of the same universe, Black Ops 7 also features a more futuristic tone compared to Black Ops 6’s 90s setting, which will likely make the post-launch weapons, skins, and modes feel distinct from its predecessor.

We won’t have to wait long to see the game in action, either, as the Black Ops 7 beta gets underway on October 2, shortly after CoD Next on September 30.