Call of Duty’s Latest Announcement: A Full Circle Moment That Leaves Me Unsure

Sure, let’s dive into this messy, tangled web of thoughts.

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Okay, so Call of Duty, right? Been around forever. Or almost—since, what, the early 2000s? And, yeah, every year there’s this new drop unless you count that mystery gap year of 2018, but who keeps track of these things? Not me, but I dig into these games like a raccoon in a trash can. Especially “Call of Duty 4” with that nuke—boom, right? That “All Ghillied Up” mission is all sneaky-deaky, spine-tingly stuff. Totally deserved those game awards. Then you got “Modern Warfare 2”, just, WOW moments and the NO RUSSIAN thing. Talk about a punch in the gut! Speaking of favorites—cue drumroll—Black Ops series is my jam. I mean, historical twists and juicy plots. Keep serving, please.

But here’s the kicker. Black Ops is not about resting on its laurels. Nope. BO7? It’s like taking a moonshot, but with a joystick.

Now, let’s sidestep to Sledgehammer and Infinity Ward for a sec. They mostly stick to the script, except MW3 went a bit rogue with open-combat missions that most folks didn’t vibe with. Boo, hiss, right? But Treyarch? Raven? Those cats mix things up like they’re spinning records at a late-night rave. BO2 had endings like a “Choose Your Adventure” book, BO3 had you leveling up skills, BO Cold War sprinkled in side quests, and BO6? A trippy safe house with, get this, CoD Zombies tributes. Mind-blowing, I know.

Now, BO7 is going a step weird again with this chatter about ending in an extraction shooter experience. Part of me is like, “Oh cool,” and another part is “Yikes, what if it flops?”

Remember Black Ops 4? Or don’t, because campaign-wise, it didn’t happen. But get this, it was supposed to be this mega mash-up mode—2v2 storylines whose outcomes flip-flopped based on wins. Super ambitious. Too ambitious, maybe. Got axed and we got Blackout battle royale instead. Which was okay, I guess?

Fast forward to BO7—Insider Gaming says we’re in for a curveball. Final mission’s spinning into this 32-player extraction shooter. Seriously? While the other 11 missions cozy up to the usual four-player co-op? Hmm.

But shooting straight with you—I’m no extraction shooter veteran. Tried Hazard Zone in Battlefield 2042 (yawn), and snooped around in Division’s Dark Zone. Kept an eye on Bungie’s Marathon—kind of—but not real deep. Maybe BO7 can rope me in? I mean, CoD’s gunplay is like butter on a hot skillet.

Here’s the thing, though, a lot of folks dive into CoD for the multiplayer, while people like me feast on campaigns. So, if this makes campaigns more click-worthy, maybe it’s a win? Maybe.

There’s this oddball thing too: Black Ops 7’s tapping into this (potentially) unused Avalon Warzone map, dropping bits in various missions until—boom—the grand finale opens it wide for extraction. Fingers crossed it doesn’t flop.

But lemme air out some fears. Story risk? Big ol’ question mark. Menendez (cue dramatic music) might be left twiddling his thumbs during this extraction zone hootenanny. Dialogue, anyone? If it mirrors multiplayer, could get pretty stale, real fast. Then there’s the same-characters-different-teams maybe messing with the vibe.

And endings? Extraction format feels so “okay, snag this thing, helicopter out.” Predictable, no? Where’s the drama? The big feels? Felt that lean ending sting in MW3’s open combat, so here’s hoping…

Ah, those classic CoD setpieces! Like a rollercoaster drop that makes your stomach leap. Were they in MW2’s EMP moment or Menendez sliding bit in BO2? That’s what makes CoD, CoD! And if this wraps like a multiplayer mode, probably won’t see much of those.

Glass half-full? Treyarch gets another stab at that hybrid campaign idea they shelved. But it’s a balancing act—hope they keep the sparkle before jumping off the deep end with this shooter finale.

Ultimately, until Treyarch drops those goods, we’re all crossing our fingers hoping that BO7 doesn’t trade its campaign soul for a slice of multiplayer pie that might not even be worth eating.

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There you go, my chaotic mind unleashed.