Forget Black Ops 8 — Activision Says the Next Call of Duty Is Something Else

Activision is shaking up its Call of Duty playbook. After years of ping-ponging between Modern Warfare and Black Ops, the company says it is done with back-to-back entries from the same sub-series. Translation: the next game will not be Call of Duty: Black Ops 8. Honestly, it was time.

What Activision is changing (and why)

In a new blog post, Activision admits Call of Duty has not always lived up to what players expect, and says the plan now is to make each yearly release feel genuinely different instead of incremental. That is the official reasoning behind ditching the consecutive Modern Warfare/Black Ops cadence that started in 2022.

Black Ops 7 marks the end of that streak, following this run: Modern Warfare 2 in 2022, Modern Warfare 3 in 2023, Black Ops 6 in 2024, and Black Ops 7 in 2025. With BO7 out, Activision says it is moving away from that strategy to deliver more variety year to year.

They did not lay out the next several years in detail, but the message was clear: annual CoD is sticking around, just not as 'MW, MW, BO, BO' anymore. Player feedback (especially around BO7) seems to be a big part of why they are changing course.

'To be clear, the future of Call of Duty is very strong and we believe our best days are ahead of us given the depth and talent of our development teams. We have been building the next era of Call of Duty, and it will deliver precisely on what you want along with some surprises that push the Franchise and the genre forward. We look forward to welcoming you in, listening to you, and moving forward together.'

Quick look at the recent cadence

• 2022: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• 2023: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
• 2024: Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• 2025: Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 (the last back-to-back in the same sub-series)

If you follow the franchise closely, this is the kind of scheduling detail that matters: it affects which studios lead, how tech evolves, and what kind of modes get attention. The current chatter has 2026 pegged as a rumored Modern Warfare 4. If that pans out, do not expect another MW the year after. The idea now is to alternate rather than double-dip.

So what is happening with Black Ops 7 right now?

Activision is treating BO7 as a long-haul project. The studio says seasonal updates will be shaped by player feedback, and that Season 01 is the biggest live season they have ever launched. There is a free trial for Black Ops 7 Multiplayer and Zombies coming next week, paired with a Double XP weekend, so anyone on the fence can jump in and decide for themselves. Warzone Season 01 is rolling alongside it, and the trial is meant to funnel people into both.

The tone from Activision is that they want BO7 to be considered one of the best Black Ops entries by the time all is said and done. They also keep repeating that future changes will be meaningful, not just small tweaks. We will see.

The hard info

Game: Call of Duty: Black Ops 7

Developers: Treyarch and Raven Software

Release date: November 14, 2025

Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC

Bottom line: annual CoD is staying annual, but the rinse-and-repeat sub-series pattern ends with BO7. Black Ops 8 is not next, and Activision is promising a wider range of experiences instead of incremental updates. That is a smart pivot, especially after the mixed reception lately.