A design director at Treyarch has addressed the recent controversy Call of Duty: Black Ops 7disproving claims about skill-based matchmaking, adjusted for the holiday season. The newest entry in the mega-popular shooter franchise has debuted as one of the biggest new games of 2025, becoming one of the top 10 best-selling releases of the year within a month. but, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7The launch has not been without a fair bit of controversy.
While Black Ops 7While the launch weekend saw many players trying out the game, the game has struggled to keep up since its debut. Several reports have been cited Black Ops 7Sales of the franchise have fallen significantly compared to previous entries in the franchise, with opening week sales ending up at less than 50%. Black Ops 6. the newest Call of Duty The game has also seen negative reactions from fans, with many criticizing the game's story and single-player component. now, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7Railing Against is the newest target of online multiplayer fan ire Call of DutySkill-based matchmaking system.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's next double XP weekend is happening sooner than you think
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 continues to roll out double XP, with developer Treyarch Studios revealing yet another weekend-long event.
Black Ops 7 Dev Addresses Fan Concerns About SBMM
Call of Duty Design director Matt Schrones has responded to fan complaints about the game's skill-based matchmaking systems. The comment originated with a fan complaining about SBMM Call of DutyTheorized that the lines were changed for the holiday season. Dismissing the idea that Treyarch changed skill-based matchmaking systems to account for holiday players, Skrones responded bluntly that the systems had not been adjusted. Skill-based matchmaking, as the name implies, takes into account various factors from K/D ratio to objective play when pairing players, trying to match gamers with others of similar skill level.
Black Ops 7The matchmaking has already been a point of contention for fans, both SBMM and war zoneThe new open matchmaking. Skill-based matchmaking has often drawn backlash from fans, with some feeling that the constant efforts to match equally skilled players make even casual matches competitive. Treyarch officially added “Open Matchmaking”. war zone on December 4, aimed at reducing complaints about ongoing skill-based matchmaking. However, Treyarch confirmed that, long after the debut of open matchmaking Call of Duty Fans were already returning to the standard Moshpit queue, claiming that the system didn't feel like the Open Beta version.
Black Ops 7 has struggled in its opening months
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7The rocky launch of the franchise's biggest rival has been linked to great success. EA and Dice officially roll out the long-awaited Battlefield 6 in October, seeing huge player counts for its release weekend. Battlefield 6 It received over 700,000 players on Steam and sold over 7 million copies within days of its launch, making it the biggest launch in franchise history. The shooter also topped the October debut month sales chart, beating out another gaming mainstay Pokemon Legends: ZA.
However Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 A bit out of the gate, the game looks set to rebound further on the way in 2026. Black Ops 7Although expected to be officially added to the game after the launch of Season 2 in early February, Treyarch has yet to share any full details about the mode. Next month's Season 1 Reloaded update was also confirmed to bring an exciting new crossover to the game. result Cosmetics set to be introduced to the game in January. Black Ops 7 The game will look to right the ship in 2026 with some exciting new content on the way.
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November 14, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood and gore, intense violence, strong language, suggestive themes, drug use
