At the recent Gamescom Opening Night Live, the highly anticipated gameplay reveal for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 took center stage. However, the reception has been far from enthusiastic. Despite garnering an impressive 15 million views, the reveal trailer has only managed to accumulate a mere 34,000 likes at the time of writing. In stark contrast, the trailer has received approximately 143,000 dislikes, according to the 'Return YouTube Dislike' Chrome extension. This significant disparity in engagement has sparked discussions across social media, particularly following a comment that declared, “This actually made me pre-order Battlefield 6,” which has since received over 53,000 likes.
The conversation surrounding the Black Ops 7 reveal is largely dominated by comparisons to Battlefield 6. Many users are taking to the comments section to express their preference for Battlefield, with one player stating, “From a COD player- thank you for making it easy to choose BF6.” Another comment echoed this sentiment, calling Black Ops 7 the “Best advertisement for Battlefield 6.” The intense hype surrounding Battlefield 6, especially following its beta, which shattered Call of Duty’s all-time player record on Steam, has intensified scrutiny on Black Ops 7.
The backlash against Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 can be attributed to several factors. For one, the overall sentiment towards the Call of Duty franchise appears to be at a notable low. Players are frustrated with the introduction of increasingly bizarre character skins, including those inspired by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Beavis and Butt-Head, and characters from American Dad. The announcement that these skins will also be featured in Black Ops 7 has not been well-received by the community.
The trailer itself provided a brief overview of the new Co-Op Campaign, showcasing a trippy, hallucinatory, and futuristic style. Many players are expressing a strong desire for the Call of Duty series to return to a more grounded gameplay experience. With Battlefield 6 moving in that direction, the comparisons are inevitable. The ongoing franchise wars between Call of Duty and Battlefield contribute to the negative sentiment, with many long-time fans feeling disillusioned.
Despite the overwhelming negativity surrounding the reveal, it is essential to recognize that online sentiment does not always reflect the broader community view. In contrast to the backlash against the reveal trailer, reactions to the multiplayer aspects of Black Ops 7 have been largely positive. Players are particularly excited about the changes that the developers have made, including the return of Weapon Prestiging, the removal of Tactical Sprint by default, and the elimination of interactive doors. These changes reflect a responsiveness to community feedback that many players have been advocating for years.
