All articles tagged with #call of duty
Chance Glasco, a co-founder of Infinity Ward, claims Activision pressured the studio to make a Call of Duty game depicting Iran invading Israel, viewing it as political propaganda; he and other developers reportedly resisted, arguing that the series’ early missions already highlighted war’s ugliness and were not intended as propaganda.
Season 2 Reloaded adds Black Ops Royale, a Blackout-inspired 100-player battle royale on the Avalon map. Players drop in with a pistol and scavenge all gear (no loadouts, no Gulag, no Buy Stations). Redeployment comes via scavenged Redeploy Tokens or Redeployment Towers; red fear gas spawns zombie hordes and reveals loot. The mode features omnimovement and a grappling hook, swimming, and map transformations over time. Weapons have archetypes and can be upgraded with Attachment Kits found on the ground or in supply, with two of each lethal, tactical, field upgrade, and killstreak allowed (no duplicates) and no UAVs. Perks are looted and temporary (roughly 2–4 minutes) with up to five carried. Avalon includes BR-specific activities and Cradle Breaches for high-tier loot (e.g., a Ray Gun), and Season 3 will add more map changes like tidal flats, deeper water drainage, new ziplines, and boats.
Britain’s ASA has banned Activision Blizzard UK’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 advert for trivialising sexual violence, citing a spoof airport security scene in which a male passenger is humiliated. Activision argued the 18-rated ad used a comedic, implausible tone and was restricted in timing, but the ASA upheld the complaints and barred the ad from running in its current form; two drug-use complaints were not upheld.
Britain's Advertising Standards Authority banned Activision Blizzard UK's Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 advert after upholding 11 complaints that it trivialised sexual violence; the regulator said the humour came from humiliation and implied non-consensual penetration, and ordered the ad not to appear in its current form, while complaints about drug use were not upheld.
Britain’s ASA ruled Activision’s live-action Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 ad trivialized sexual violence by showing Replacers humiliating a passenger at airport security and joking about non-consensual acts; it must be edited before it can air again in the UK, while Activision argues the ad targets adults and the clip is still available on YouTube.
Activision will shut down Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile on April 17, 2026, with servers going offline that day and current players able to play until then. The title had been flagged for delisting and received no new content since May 2025, while the broader Call of Duty ecosystem remains available on other platforms (including Call of Duty: Mobile with Battle Royale on mobile and Warzone on PC/console).
Activision will shut down Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile servers on April 17, 2026, ending all updates, social features, and in-app purchases; after shutdown, guest accounts will be inaccessible while Activision accounts remain usable on other titles.
Activision Blizzard will shut down Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile on April 17, 2026, saying the mobile version did not meet its expectations for mobile‑first players; the game has not received new content since its app store removal in May 2025, guest accounts will no longer work, and players with unspent CoD points should spend them before the shutdown, while some unlockables can transfer to other Warzone titles and Activision accounts can still access other platforms.
Overwatch has reached its highest Steam PC player base since launch, surpassing Battlefield 6 and Call of Duty and signaling a surge in the hero shooter’s PC popularity.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 topped US December 2025 sales but finished fifth for the year, marking the franchise’s weakest year-end US performance since World at War (2008). Battlefield 6 led 2025 US sales, and putting Black Ops 7 on Game Pass likely dented its numbers; Activision/Microsoft also signaled changes to the annual CoD release cadence.
Circana’s 2025 US software sales data show Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 finishing the year at fifth in dollar sales—the franchise’s lowest position since 2008’s World at War—despite December’s top spot, with Game Pass likely curbing traditional sales and competing titles like Battlefield 6, NBA 2K26, Borderlands 4, and Monster Hunter Wilds outperforming it; Activision denied any drastic rethinking of the series.
Bobby Kotick argues that a reported 60% year-over-year drop in Call of Duty sales justifies Microsoft’s $69 billion Activision Blizzard takeover, suggesting the deal would have been less valuable otherwise; critics question the figure’s reliability and note ongoing scrutiny around the merger.
Ex-Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, defending the Microsoft deal in an investor-led lawsuit, says Call of Duty’s latest entry, Black Ops 7, is down more than 60% from last year, blaming weak console sales and competition from Battlefield; the claim highlights concerns about the franchise’s performance as GTA 6 looms, amid ongoing scrutiny of Activision’s sale.
The Season One Reloaded update for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 adds Fallout-themed content and remakes the popular Meltdown map from Black Ops 2. Fans are debating the update: the remastered map has updated visuals and dynamic lighting that many say look cleaner and less detailed than the 2012 version, affecting atmosphere, while others praise improved visibility and balance for competitive play. Overall, the map still plays well, highlighting a trade-off between atmosphere and clarity in modern game design.
Dataminers found Nintendo references in the Call of Duty HQ launcher code, fueling speculation that a Nintendo Switch 2 COD title is in development as reports circulated of a 10-year deal to bring COD to Nintendo platforms with parity.