It has been a rough time for Call of Duty fans. From the initial competition with Battlefield 6, to the lackluster marketing and somewhat false promises on the return to realistic styles, it’s been a rough year for COD fans. Yet with the negative reaction from Black Ops 7’s campaign and AI calling cards, community reception immediately tanked. Now that the dust has settled, Black Ops 7 is seeing its peak player count plummet to historic lows.
How the Mighty Have Fallen
Despite the holiday season, Black Ops 7 saw its player count drop significantly. Other popular titles, such as Dead by Daylight, VRChat, or Marvel Rivals, have taken over the long-standing giant’s spot on Steam alone.
Yet despite offering a few free weekends, multiple sales, and offering an above-average Zombies mode, it wasn’t nearly enough to keep even COD’s most die-hard fans around. Typically, around the holidays, all games see a spike in their overall player count, but you know when it’s bad when your game actively loses players around Christmas.
The Future of Black Ops 7
While future seasons may revive Black Ops 7, it’s not guaranteed, and with such a loss in numbers, Activision is already beginning to make massive changes. Previously, after the initial bad reception for Black Ops 7, Activision announced that they are moving away from the yearly Call of Duty release.
This release cycle has dragged on for years, and with each new entry, Call of Duty has either landed as a modest success or crashed as a major disappointment. Even with the strong moments—like Modern Warfare (2019)’s surge in players, a few solid campaign remasters, and Warzone keeping fans engaged—the franchise kept pushing out games at a relentless pace. In the end, that breakneck schedule set the series up to stumble.
Will Black Ops 7 be able to save itself, or should fans keep their fingers crossed for a better sequel?
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