As Battlefield 6 looms, Call of Duty vows to avoid goofy skins in Black Ops 7 — I agree it “needs to feel authentic,” but will the devs keep their word?

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Following the highly anticipated Battlefield 6 Open Beta weekends on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5 during August, one area where its first-person shooter rival Call of Duty has received criticism is its tendency to feature humorously exaggerated skins that seem incongruous in a game with a military theme.

Battlefield 6, with its emphasis on “authentic realism” in character customization, appears to have the potential to significantly overshadow Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, as some CoD fans are expressing dissatisfaction with their recent use of humorous and culturally out-of-place skins, like those based on Beavis and Butt-Head and American Dad.

In response to increasing dissatisfaction regarding the current visual style of Call of Duty, particularly in Black Ops 6, developers Treyarch and Raven Software have promised to make Black Ops 7 authentically reflect the essence of Call of Duty and its setting. This promise is a direct response to recent criticisms about the inconsistent cosmetics in Black Ops 6.

In August’s community update for Call of Duty, I learned some exciting news – they shared that the Operators, skins, and weapons from Black Ops 6 won’t be transferable to Black Ops 7 due to a tonal shift. But It seems the developers want us long-time players to keep benefiting from the progression boost they offer.

It’s important to note that the change or update affecting Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will not impact the free-to-play battle royale version, Call of Duty: Warzone. Treyarch and Raven have assured players that content from Black Ops 6 will continue to be usable in Warzone going forward.

The article mentions that there has been much discussion lately about the nature of Call of Duty. Some of you have expressed concern that we’ve strayed from what initially set Call of Duty apart: an immersive, intense, visceral experience, often grounded in reality. This kind of feedback resonates with us and we give it our full attention. We are listening to your concerns.

The creators of Black Ops 7 aim to keep it true to the original Call of Duty feel and its environment. As a result, characters and weapons from Black Ops 6 won’t be part of Black Ops 7. However, they’ll still let you bring over your Double XP tokens and GobbleGums because they understand how valuable your time and progress are to you.

In addition, the article states that from the launch of Black Ops 7 on November 14, the internal RICOCHET anti-cheat system utilized across current Call of Duty games for PC players will necessitate enabling Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 (Trusted Platform Module version 2.0).

As a tech enthusiast, it’s no secret that the gaming world is driven by business, and developers and publishers will always follow the money. Recently, it appears there’s been a significant shift in the market moving away from the goofy skins trend. This change seems to have inspired companies like Xbox, Treyarch, and Raven Software to revisit the classic style of Call of Duty, perhaps recognizing that fans may be yearning for a return to its roots.

In Battlefield 6, as well as Electronic Arts’ Javelin, a specific condition applies that involves using Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 for anti-cheat measures. Despite the debates surrounding kernel-level anti-cheat software, the positive aspect is that setting up Secure Boot and employing TPM 2.0 are both quite straightforward processes.

To sum up, the developers mention that we can expect to learn much more about Black Ops 7 in the forthcoming weeks. This flow of information will peak when it unveils its complete multiplayer version at the CoD: NEXT event scheduled for September 30.

Following this, the early access beta for Black Ops 7 starts on October 2, while the open beta commences on October 5. The beta period continues till October 8, which is only two days prior to the release of Battlefield 6 on October 10.

An exciting change for Call of Duty — will it last?

As a gamer who’s grown increasingly disheartened by the excessive and extravagant cosmetic elements in games over the years, which have often disrupted consistent art styles (like what happened with Team Fortress 2 and its vast assortment of hats), I’m thrilled to see Call of Duty making a deliberate move away from this trend for Black Ops 7.

Initially, the CoD series appeared to be a realistic military shooter game with strong immersion, similar to Battlefield (with Battlefield 2042 being an exception). However, it started to veer significantly from this aesthetic direction as early as Black Ops 4 in 2018. Now, seven years later, I’m excited that Call of Duty is returning to its original artistic style.

While I appreciate the new artistic direction in Call of Duty games, there’s a part of me that wonders how sustainable this trend might be. After all, if the extravagant cosmetics haven’t proven profitable for the studios, they likely wouldn’t have persisted with it for so long.

The cynical part of me can’t help but wonder how long this returning artistic direction will last.

As a researcher investigating the evolving landscape of gaming, I’ve noticed an intriguing development: the shift in priorities among publishers and developers. In light of market trends, it seems that there might have been a significant move away from the overly playful or frivolous in-game items, leading companies like Xbox, Treyarch, and Raven to revert back to the original style of Call of Duty.

However, upon closer examination, this change could also be seen as a strategic maneuver, serving more as a public relations gesture rather than a substantial alteration in content. While they’re still providing a steady stream of pop culture and crossover items to appease their audience, the core gameplay mechanics might remain essentially unchanged. In essence, this move could be interpreted as a way for developers to show that they’re attentive to player feedback while continuing to deliver content that resonates with a broad audience.

It remains to be seen, but I’m leaning towards being guardedly hopeful. If, by this time next year, we see King of the Hill character packs in Black Ops 7, I guess I won’t be shocked. Fingers crossed that Battlefield keeps its promises.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Battlefield 6 will be launching for the Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5 platforms at a price point of $70 each. The anticipated release date for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is November 14, while Battlefield 6 will debut earlier on October 10. Importantly, as a first-party Microsoft game, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 can also be accessed through Xbox Game Pass.

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2025-08-27 01:40