- Activision have confirmed that Operator skins and weapons from Black Ops 6 will not carry over to Black Ops 7.
- The news comes just days after Treyarch confirmed that the Carry Forward program will be returning for BO7.
- Following the change, Double XP Token and Gobblegums are the only items that will be carried forward to the upcoming title.
Activision has finally delivered the news many Call of Duty fans were desperate to hear, confirming that BO6’s Operators and cosmetics will no longer carry over to Black Ops 7. The news comes hot on the heels of the studio initially confirming that the Carry Forward program would return for BO7, but thanks to widespread backlash, the devs have rescinded the decision.
Activision shared the news via a Community Update Blog adorned with an ominous black banner. Thankfully, its contents were only positive, starting with a moment of acknowledgement, “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.“
In the next section, the blog stated the news fans were longing for “Operators, Operator Skins, and Weapons from Black Ops 6 will no longer carry forward into Black Ops 7.” It also explained the rationale behind the decision, “Black Ops 7 needs to feel authentic to Call of Duty and its setting. That is why Black Ops 6 Operator and Weapon content will not carry forward to Black Ops 7. Double XP tokens and GobbleGums will still carry forward, because we recognize your time and progression are important.“
The devs then confirmed that these changes don’t apply to Warzone and added that Black Ops 7’s bundles and items will be crafted to fit the “Black Ops identity.” This basically suggests that we’ll see fewer ‘goofy’ skins and pop culture collaborations such as Black Ops 6’s American Dad and Beavis and Butt-Head events.
While Activision were likely aware that the inclusion of animated skins could throw the game’s visual identity into a tailspin, I highly doubt that they expected this level of pushback from the community. Players online have vehemently berated these Operator skins, priming the issue as their primary complaint against the franchise in the process. Matters got so dire that many fans admitted to pre-ordering Battlefield 6, purely out of spite for what “Call of Duty has turned into.”
As you can imagine, this Community Update was welcomed with open arms by players, leading to reactions like “GIGANTIC W, THANK YOU FOR LISTENING,” and “Amazing change for BO7. Thank you.” Other players were more cautious with their praise and highlighted other issues that need fixing: “That’s great, now tone the aggressive SBMM down next.“
All things considered, this is a step in the right direction for Call of Duty. And we can only hope that Activision displays the same sincerity towards addressing other common complaints, such as disbanding lobbies and SBMM.
