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Black Ops 7’s co-op campaign is the best possible solution to CoD’s many issues
The 2025 edition of the Xbox Showcase has just ended, bringing us a ton of insight into the future of gaming. During the closure, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer announced Black Ops 7, a new Call of Duty title set in Treyarch's long-standing subfranchise, carrying a recognizable yet new sci-fi look. What he didn't mention, and what was confirmed by Treyarch itself, is that Black Ops 7 will have a co-op campaign developed by the great minds at Raven Software, and this just might be the solution to the woeful state of the Call of Duty series. CoD has been in dire need of a good campaign since MW2019 Ever since Activision brought us Call of Duty: Modern Warfare—the rebooted one—in 2019, I have had high expectations of each subsequent entry in the franchise. However, time and again, I would be disappointed by subpar campaigns, poor and short stories, and what seemed to be Activision's complete ignorance of what made CoD great in the first place. The cinematic quality of the campaigns was pretty high all around, with Treyarch usually looking to up the ante, but they never failed to reach the standard sets by MW2019 and its predecessors, particularly the old entries in the MW and Black Ops franchises. Hell, even the likes of Infinity War had a solid campaign, one that was epic in scope and captivating enough to be worth the few hours. These new ones? Not so much. Now, with Black Ops 7, the cinematic feel is higher than it's ever been. We saw a pre-rendered trailer that didn't resemble a CoD game in the slightest before the TVs and numbers showed up. It was different, futuristic, a breath of fresh air for the franchise. Something to break the monotony of yearly releases that couldn't be told apart, no matter how hard you tried. The same engine, the same game, every year. But that could change. Black Ops 7 could mark a major shift in tone and style for the franchise. Image via Activision With these shifts comes yet another, crucial, change—a co-op campaign. Though older CoDs had co-op systems in place through Spec Ops missions and Zombies, we never really got a proper co-op campaign and story that we could experience alongside friends. This may also mean that changes are coming to how the Call of Duty narrative is woven and executed, another way to potentially set this new title apart from the rest. Just remember the good old days of Modern Warfare 1 and 2, Black Ops 1 and 2, and other fantastic Call of Duty games that had brutal, uncompromising, Hollywood blockbuster-style stories filled to the brim with memorable characters and moments that have stuck with all of us who experienced them. Think of that and imagine how a well-crafted story might resonate with you and your friends seeing it and living it together. Multiplayer is one thing. Warzone and older CoDs are bleeding players, and the franchise needs a strong shake-up that brings the community back together again. There's no better way to do it than with a strong campaign crafted for two players that will let players experience a solid narrative side-by-side with their compatriots. Then, and only then, will they have the wish to go and duke it out on the multiplayer and in alternative modes, especially if the story mode turns out to be as wicked, ambitious, and awesome as its reveal trailer implies. People need a reason to stick with the series, and this might just be it. The post Black Ops 7’s co-op campaign is the best possible solution to CoD’s many issues appeared first on Destructoid.
The 2025 edition of the Xbox Showcase has just ended, bringing us a ton of insight into the future of gaming. During the closure, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer announced Black Ops 7, a new Call of Duty title set in Treyarch's long-standing subfranchise, carrying a recognizable yet new sci-fi look.
What he didn't mention, and what was confirmed by Treyarch itself, is that Black Ops 7 will have a co-op campaign developed by the great minds at Raven Software, and this just might be the solution to the woeful state of the Call of Duty series.
CoD has been in dire need of a good campaign since MW2019
Ever since Activision brought us Call of Duty: Modern Warfare—the rebooted one—in 2019, I have had high expectations of each subsequent entry in the franchise. However, time and again, I would be disappointed by subpar campaigns, poor and short stories, and what seemed to be Activision's complete ignorance of what made CoD great in the first place.
The cinematic quality of the campaigns was pretty high all around, with Treyarch usually looking to up the ante, but they never failed to reach the standard sets by MW2019 and its predecessors, particularly the old entries in the MW and Black Ops franchises.
Hell, even the likes of Infinity War had a solid campaign, one that was epic in scope and captivating enough to be worth the few hours. These new ones? Not so much.
Now, with Black Ops 7, the cinematic feel is higher than it's ever been. We saw a pre-rendered trailer that didn't resemble a CoD game in the slightest before the TVs and numbers showed up. It was different, futuristic, a breath of fresh air for the franchise. Something to break the monotony of yearly releases that couldn't be told apart, no matter how hard you tried.
The same engine, the same game, every year. But that could change.
With these shifts comes yet another, crucial, change—a co-op campaign.
Though older CoDs had co-op systems in place through Spec Ops missions and Zombies, we never really got a proper co-op campaign and story that we could experience alongside friends. This may also mean that changes are coming to how the Call of Duty narrative is woven and executed, another way to potentially set this new title apart from the rest.
Just remember the good old days of Modern Warfare 1 and 2, Black Ops 1 and 2, and other fantastic Call of Duty games that had brutal, uncompromising, Hollywood blockbuster-style stories filled to the brim with memorable characters and moments that have stuck with all of us who experienced them. Think of that and imagine how a well-crafted story might resonate with you and your friends seeing it and living it together.
Multiplayer is one thing. Warzone and older CoDs are bleeding players, and the franchise needs a strong shake-up that brings the community back together again. There's no better way to do it than with a strong campaign crafted for two players that will let players experience a solid narrative side-by-side with their compatriots.
Then, and only then, will they have the wish to go and duke it out on the multiplayer and in alternative modes, especially if the story mode turns out to be as wicked, ambitious, and awesome as its reveal trailer implies. People need a reason to stick with the series, and this might just be it.
The post Black Ops 7’s co-op campaign is the best possible solution to CoD’s many issues appeared first on Destructoid.
