Microsoft unveiled Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 at its Xbox Games Showcase in June 2025, a reveal that arrived later in the calendar than is typical for the franchise. The debut trailer, featured below, offered fans minimal details: a story tease, confirmation of the game's 2035 setting, and its protagonist, David Mason.

This limited information is intentional, part of Activision's marketing strategy for Black Ops 7, which focuses on revealing very little before the game's late 2025 launch. What's the objective? Activision aims for Black Ops 7's release to generate the surprise and buzz of a spontaneous Beyoncé album drop.

Speaking to Variety, Activision's Head of Marketing, Tyler Bahl, elaborated on the company's approach:

“Traditionally, by this stage, we would have teased nearly everything coming in the game. Our vision this time is to structure the launch more like a surprise Beyoncé album release, where no one sees it coming.

“Our core goal was to genuinely break the mold, to zag and present the game in a distinctly unique manner. A key part of that strategy is avoiding extensive pre-launch promotion and delivering it to players in a completely unexpected way.”

Although Activision has promised a more substantial reveal at some point this summer, it may ultimately share few additional details. Fans might need to wait until the release date to fully understand what Black Ops 7 offers.

So, what is confirmed? Black Ops 7 is set in 2035, over four decades after the events of Black Ops 6, during a period of global upheaval following Black Ops 2 and the previous year's Black Ops 6. The co-op campaign makes a return after its absence in Black Ops 6 (the campaign can also be played solo). Multiplayer will feature near-future weaponry on brand-new maps. Additionally, the game will include the next chapter of Round-Based Zombies, set deep within the Dark Aether.

Official description:

Equipped with cutting-edge technology, David Mason and his team must combat a manipulative enemy whose ultimate weapon is fear.

According to Variety, Black Ops 7 stars Milo Ventimiglia as David Mason (the character is now portrayed by a new actor), Kiernan Shipka as a new character named Emma Kagen (CEO of The Guild), and Michael Rooker, reprising his role as Mike Harper from Black Ops 2.

Activision has also confirmed that Black Ops 7 will continue support for last-generation consoles, releasing on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC via "Xbox PC App," Battle.net, and Steam. As expected, the game will be available on Day One with Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. The announcement made no mention of Nintendo Switch 2. Development is a collaboration between Treyarch and Raven Software.

Black Ops 7 marks the first time the Black Ops sub-series has seen consecutive annual releases, launching just one year after Black Ops 6. Some fans have expressed concern that this could make the title feel like a stopgap, similar to how 2023's Modern Warfare 3 was perceived by parts of the community following 2022's Modern Warfare 2. Activision, however, asserts that Black Ops 7 "delivers the complete Call of Duty experience for our players."

The expectation is that Infinity Ward will return with a new Modern Warfare title in 2026, resetting the franchise's annual release cycle once more.

For more information, explore everything announced at the Xbox Games Showcase in June 2025.