To say that Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is receiving a mixed reception feels like an understatement. In light of this, Activision has committed to making some serious improvements and promises to “overdeliver” on the upcoming title. They’ve also announced that Black Ops and Modern Warfare releases will no longer follow each other back-to-back. This strategic shift has drawn some support from Mike Ybarra, a former Microsoft executive, who, despite some earlier criticisms, is now cheering from the sidelines.
Ybarra, who previously held the position of president at Blizzard and was a corporate vice president at Xbox, shared his thoughts on Twitter: “Competition is good. I’m rooting for the Call of Duty team to come back with a vengeance – for the players and their team. They work incredibly hard and remain very talented.” He also threw back to a bold statement from the past: “We will get a better Call of Duty thanks to Battlefield.” It might sound grand, but there’s a kernel of truth there. This year is particularly competitive for Activision’s FPS series, especially with Battlefield 6 launching just weeks before Black Ops 7 hits shelves.
The buzz around the Black Ops 7 beta reveals a mode without skill-based matchmaking (SBMM), which has players pretty psyched: “We need Battlefield 6 to come out every year!” Meanwhile, Black Ops 7 is promising to “redefine” what Call of Duty can be. Even after 20 years, Treyarch claims they’re prepared to deliver “some of the most unique and unexpected moments of the series.”
Competition is good. I’m rooting for the Call of Duty team to come back with vengeance – for the players and their team. They work incredibly hard and remain very talented. “We will get a better Call of Duty thanks to Battlefield.” https://t.co/xWCGH2EJz5 December 9, 2025 This lead-in allows the new Battlefield to seize the moment, compounded by the lukewarm critical reception of Black Ops 7 (currently sitting at a 67 on Metacritic). Having a rival like Battlefield can spark innovation and the motivation for recovery, and that brings us to now.
Whether the latest Black Ops can turn things around remains to be seen. The game’s developers, Treyarch and Raven Software, are promising that they “won’t rest until Black Ops 7 earns its place as one of the best Black Ops games we’ve ever made.” It sounds ambitious, but there are plenty of fans and industry veterans who are holding out hope for a turnaround. Meanwhile, discussions about Black Ops 7’s skill-based matchmaking continue to heat up after a player conducted some tests and found it might not be as open as they’d hoped.