Well, that’s a shocker! Call of Duty has cancelled Carry Forward between Black Ops 6 and Black Ops 7. Operators and weapons will no longer make the jump to Black Ops 7 when Season 1 launches later this year. It’s a surprise, to be sure. While the outcry about ridiculous skins has felt louder than usual this year, it’s hard to gauge whether it’s actually having an impact, or if anyone of note is even paying attention. I suspect the Black Ops 7 pre-order numbers weren’t quite as high as envisioned.
We know there’s been a lot of conversation recently about the identity of Call of Duty. Some of you have said we’ve drifted from what made Call of Duty unique in the first place: immersive, intense, visceral and in many ways grounded. That feedback hits home, and we take it seriously. We hear you…
Throughout development, Treyarch and Raven’s north star has been to deliver a spiritual successor to Black Ops 2 while taking some big swings.
Black Ops 7 needs to feel authentic to Call of Duty and its setting.
I’ll hold off on any praise until we’re a few seasons deep into Black Ops 7, but this is a positive development. Something had to be done to protect Call of Duty’s identity. And I don’t mean that in a rage-bait “ThIS iSn’T tHe cAlL oF dUtY i GrEw Up WiTh” way. I enjoy it when Call of Duty gets wacky (especially with Zombies tie-ins), but destroying visual cohesion by mixing wildly different art styles on the battlefield was too much. The COD Toons event was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I’m still washing my eyes out after that blurry and disgusting cartoon map filter.
Warzone is unaffected, which is the way it should be. Warzone is the sandbox where eras and costume choices don’t matter. I can drive around Verdansk as Mr Peeks, mowing down Captain Price, Nicki Minaj and the wee anime lassie, and have a great time doing it. I’m someone who wants to see more separation between each annual premium title, so having the battle royale be the only place purchases carry over is a sound choice (even if I’m realistic that things like back-to-back Zombies modes will share similarities; Call of Duty should strive to offer unique experiences).
Although I’m in favour of the move, it does feel like Activision went for the nuclear option. An optional toggle (that is off by default and buried in the settings) to show default operator skins could’ve satisfied both sides of the divide. Granted, there might be technical reasons that would prevent it, and would Activision really want to kneecap its own income? We all know the answer to that.
No More Horde-ing
As for Zombies, I’m pleased that weapons won’t carry over. There are a lot of fears that Black Ops 7 will be virtually identical to Black Ops 6 in terms of systems and mechanics. While we won’t know for sure until the Zombies Reveal, a unique weapon pool will help make BO7 stand out a bit more. That’s one of the reasons why going back to play Black Ops 2 is so refreshing—the guns feel so different from the other early Zombies entries.
There was also the worry that the Mystery Box would be clogged up with over 100 weapons. It’s already tricky enough to pull a specific gun in Black Ops 6, so I don’t want to imagine what it’d be like combining BO6 and BO7’s firepower and waiting for a particular box pull.
Not to mention, the threat of Black Ops 6 meta weapons staying on top. As always, there’s the “just don’t use it” argument, but if a gun is overpowered, most players will gravitate toward it. It also means Treyarch doesn’t need to worry about balancing all the BO6 weapons every time a new update launches.
Of course, there’s the concern that we’re just going to get the same weapons and operators drip-fed back to us (with the added courtesy of paying for some of them too). I don’t mind a few classic weapons returning post-launch, but I’d like to see as many new guns as possible. Whether Activision is bold enough to sell the exact same skin again, we’ll have to wait and see. Surely not.
As a primarily solo player, I can’t say the operator skins have ever negatively impacted my experience. I’m even guilty of buying a few of them for the lulz. It would’ve been nice if the Main Quest reward operators carried over, but I’m not overly fussed. I can still show them off in Warzone to display my Zombies skills, and if they’re locked to Black Ops 6, it makes them feel a bit more special. If I ever get the urge to play as Pentagon Thief Carver, I can load up Black Ops 6 and reminisce.
Gobblegums and Double XP tokens are unaffected by the decision, which is fine by me, given they are consumables. I just hope there’s a good amount of new Gobblegums distinct to Black Ops 7 that are worthwhile.
I Hate The Way That You Dress
If history is to repeat itself, we’ll be back in the position where people are angry about immersion-breaking skins by December. However, I hope that isn’t the case this time around. There are so many possibilities for in-universe outfits, particularly when it comes to Zombies. A little unwanted advice to Activision: look inward, not outward! You don’t need to give license holders a cut when you’re making skins related to your own IP.
Case in point: The Vault Edition. I’ve made my feelings about the T.E.D.D skin known (he’s ugly af—give us the real T.E.D.D!), but I appreciate the more “out there” skins being legacy characters tied to Black Ops history. Even if I don’t find the skins appealing, they fit within the universe much more than Beavis and Butthead.
I honestly wasn’t expecting such a split opinion on the decision, but I think both sides have valid points. I wonder if it’s a generational thing to some extent. A lot of the oldheads are pleased, while younger players are frustrated. That’s not a hard and fast rule, but it’s something I’ve noticed on my feed. Maybe I’m just an old fogey who’s grown accustomed to starting fresh in Call of Duty every year, but I place a lot of value in each Zombies mode feeling unique—it’s more important to me than my purchases carrying forward.
While the debate on whether Black Ops 7 should have Black Ops 6 weapons and cosmetics will rage on, I don’t want to bury the lede: Call of Duty has a bloody nose. The decision to retract its previous announcement on Carry Forward is telling. Whether it’s pressure from Battlefield 6, poor pre-order numbers, or overwhelming sentiment from hardcore fans, the juggernaut has shown it can bleed. It will need to listen more and act smarter if anyone is to believe it has truly changed face.
