Tag: Call of Duty
News Skill-Based Matchmaking Is Becoming More Prominent Again In Black Ops 7 Multiplayer
The Season 01 patch notes reveal all
With Season 01's launch arriving today for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, developer Treyarch has dropped the new season's patch notes - and they contain some controversial updates on the game's skill-based matchmaking system. As we covered a few times in the run up to launch, the team
News Black Ops 7 Season 01 Maps Detailed, Free On Xbox Game Pass Ultimate This Week
Four maps arrive on day one
Ahead of launch later this week, Xbox and Activision have given us a closer look at the multiplayer maps coming to Black Ops 7 Season 01 - with four new levels coming to the Game Pass FPS later this week. The maps in question are Fate, Odysseus, Utopia and Standoff; the latter being a returning classic from 2012's Black...
News Call Of Duty May Be Heading To Nintendo As Xbox Dev Seeks Talent With 'Switch Experience'
Maybe not until 2027, though
Remember when Microsoft committed to putting Call of Duty on Nintendo platforms amidst all of the ActiBlizz drama a few years back? Well, we've not really seen much activity in this space since, but after confirming that this move was still in the works back in the summer, one of the COD dev teams is now seemingly hiring...
Hands On Black Ops 7 Is Amazing On The ROG Xbox Ally X, As Long As You're Not Offline
Good luck playing this on a plane
I mentioned last week how I've spent the past month barely turning on my Xbox Series X at all because of the ROG Xbox Ally X, and therefore all of my time with Black Ops 7 has been spent on the new premium handheld device so far. It was revealed ahead of launch how Call of Duty: BO7 was being optimis
News Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7 Gets Small Post-Launch Update, Here Are The Patch Notes
Just two days after launch
If you've been playing Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 today, you may have noticed that it's suddenly asking for an update - and that's because Treyarch has released the first post-launch update since it launched on November 14th. There are only a few minor adjustments here across two areas of the title - Multiplayer and...
Crap Ops
Where do I even start with the Black Ops 7 campaign? Following last year's fantastic effort led by developer Raven Software, Black Ops 7 contains a messy, stitched-together story mode that barely constitutes as a Call of Duty campaign whatsoever. Intrigued? Well, I'll do my best to explain what's going on here, but the long and short of it...
News Black Ops 7 Comparison Shows Difference Between Xbox Series X And Series S
Here's how both Xbox versions stack up
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has started to release around the world, so we've already got a comparison for it! The excellent Xbox Fuzion Testing is first on the scene again, sharing an initial look at both Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S gameplay over on YouTube, including some very preliminary performance...
News Xbox Game Pass Users Are 'Moving To New Zealand' Again To Play Black Ops 7 Early
Some regions can play before others...
It's finally almost time for the launch of Black Ops 7 on Xbox, with the game officially releasing this week on November 14th. However, as is becoming the norm each year, fans have already started talking about plans to 'visit New Zealand' to begin playing a little early. Yes, the biggest open secret in the...
News The Original Modern Warfare 2 Appears In Xbox Game Pass Premium Ad
Is it coming to Microsoft's new service?
On the eve of Black Ops 7 dropping into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, another Call of Duty title could be on its way to the service. An Xbox user has seen a Game Pass ad pop up on their console dashboard that appears to include the ori
News Black Ops 7 Preload And Release Times Revealed, Along With ROG Xbox Ally Details
"Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is just around the corner"
Today's Xbox Game Pass roundup for the next couple of weeks was highlighted by the massive addition of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 on November 14th, and Activision has now revealed the preload and release times for the game. Firstly, Black Ops 7 will be available for preload on November 10th at...
News Battlefield 6 Boss: 'The Only Reason COD Exists Is Because EA Were D*cks'
Vince Zampella speaks openly
Call of Duty vs. Battlefield has been a long-standing rivalry in the gaming biz; two FPS titans that often trade blows as publishers Activision and EA hope to reign supreme. With BF6 out in the wild, veteran developer Vince Zampella has now had a major hand in both of these franchises - and in a new interview, h
News Call Of Duty Is Finally Removing Skill-Based Matchmaking In Black Ops 7
Disbanding lobbies are also going away!
Ever since the big Modern Warfare reboot in 2019, the whole matchmaking system in Call of Duty changed; to one that tries to match players up of a similar skill level above all other metrics. It's a system that should work in theory, but in practice has led to a feeling of being punished for playing well - and...
News New COD Sales 'Estimate' Helps Explain Xbox's Price Hike For Day One Game Pass Releases
GP Ultimate & PCGP have since received price increases
Last year marked the first Call of Duty game to be released day one on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass in the form of Black Ops 6, but a new report from Bloomberg suggests that it didn't perform as well as hoped. The report mentions that, according to a former employee of Xbox,...
Guide How To Download The Black Ops 7 Beta On Xbox
It's not as simple as you might think!
So, the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 beta kicks into gear later today - and we've detailed all of the release times, rewards, content included and other information in our full BO7 beta guide. However, pre-loads are now live, and that brings us on to installing the beta on Xbox. As has become the norm with Call...
News Call Of Duty Dev Admits 'Worry' About Franchise Fatigue With Black Ops 7
"I worry about that"
Xbox developer Treyarch is following up 2024's Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 with Black Ops 7 later this year; that being the first time Black Ops has seen to back-to-back releases in series history. Despite the upcoming title being set in a completely different time period to last year's effort, a senior developer on the team has...
News Call Of Duty To Receive The Movie Treatment As Paramount Inks Deal With Microsoft
"This is truly a dream come true"
Well folks, we're getting a Call of Duty movie! It's been announced today that Paramount and Activision (via Microsoft) have inked a deal to bring the Call of Duty franchise to the big screen, with Variety reporting that the deal could also expand beyond a single movie in the future. For now though, the idea is...
News Call Of Duty Team Responds To Feedback That They've 'Drifted From What Made COD Unique'
Big changes are afoot for Black Ops 7
Throughout the past year of Call of Duty content, we've seen complaints from some parts of the community about the more outlandish elements being added to the game(s) - the recent Beavis and Butt-Head crossover being one of them. And, speaking in an August 2025 Community Update this week, the CoD team addressed...
News Former Call Of Duty & Apex Legends Dev Joins Halo Studios As Creative Director
"I’m starting a new position"
Halo Studios has a new creative director! The news was announced on LinkedIn a few days ago by John Williams (otherwise known as J.J. Williams) who shared the news to his 2,000+ followers. Looking through J.J.'s career, he's most notably worked at Raven Software on a bunch of Call of Duty titles including Black Ops...
News A Month After Xbox Layoffs, Call Of Duty Dev Raven Software Officially Unionises
It took nearly 3 years of negotiation
Raven Software, the team behind the campaign portion of last year's Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, is this week celebrating a fresh union contract that guarantees improved working conditions over at Xbox. Per a post from the Communications Workers of America (CWA), the group of Raven employees who voted to unionise...
News Call Of Duty's File Size Is Getting Reduced As Xbox Prepares To Launch Black Ops 7
MW2 and MW3 content is moving
Anyone who plays modern Call of Duty will know that file sizes can get ridiculous these days, but thankfully, the upcoming release of Black Ops 7 is prompting the Activision team to remove some older content from the main COD launcher. Later today, the recent iterations of Modern Warfare 2 and Modern Warfare 3 will...
News Call Of Duty: WW2 Is Missing From PC Game Pass, And There's A Good Reason For It
Activision's on the case
As you may recall, the final addition to June 2025 Xbox Game Pass lineup was Call of Duty: WW2, and although the game is live and playable on the console version of the service right now, the PC Game Pass edition is missing entirely. It's been that way for a few days as well, with Activision issuing a statement back on July...
Random Xbox Is Giving Away A Highly Valuable Beavis & Butt-Head Controller
"The Great Cornholio has entered the lobby"
Beavis & Butt-Head fans, this one's for you! As shared yesterday on the official Call of Duty Twitter account, Xbox has teamed up with Activision to give away this special custom controller - and it's actually very valuable as well! As detailed in the official rules for this giveaway, the Beavis &...
News Xbox Has Briefly Taken Down A Bunch Of Classic COD Games For 'Maintenance'
Are they being prepped for Game Pass?
We have an intriguing development in the world of Call of Duty today, folks. As part of what appears to be quite a hefty maintenance effort from the Activision team, a big batch of COD titles have gone offline for roughly four hours today - including some Xbox 360 classics like Modern Warfare 2 and the original...
News Two New Black Ops 7 Game Modes Leaked Via Call Of Duty Xbox App
An accidental reveal
There's been a lot of buzz in the Call of Duty community over the past few hours thanks to an accidental leak from Activision on the CoD Xbox app, revealing a bunch of images along with two new game modes for Black Ops 7. Basically, a message was pushed out to the app containing details of an internal playtest taking place this...
News Xbox Is Still Committed To Bringing Call Of Duty To Switch, Confirms Activision
"Both teams are working on it"
Nintendo Switch 2 is out. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has been announced. And yet, Xbox hasn't committed to launching anything on the new Nintendo system right now, apart from next month's
News Despite Xbox's Multiplatform Push, Activision Abandons COD Warzone Mobile
"Thank you for your dedication and passion"
Since finally acquiring Activision Blizzard in late 2023, Microsoft has continued to boast about the size and success of Call of Duty Warzone Mobile - but this weekend, it's decided to pull the plug on Warzone's iOS and Android spin-off. Making the announcement via its support page, Activision has now...
News Activision Files Lawsuit Against COD Hackers As It Aims To Clean Up Black Ops 6
Hack Ops
Xbox's Activision Blizzard team has been pursuing hackers a whole bunch since Black Ops 6 launched late last year, and now the company has filed a lawsuit against two of the most prominent hacking groups in the Call of Duty scene. As seen by
News Call Of Duty's New Xbox Update Adds Crossplay Matchmaking Options For 'Consoles Only'
Combating "PC cheaters"
Activision is rolling out Season 3 of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 this week and in case you missed it, console players on Xbox platforms will be given some new crossplay multiplayer options to reportedly combat PC cheaters. One setting in particular, available in Multiplayer Ranked Play, Warzone Ranked Play, and Multiplayer...
News CoD Leaker Doubles Down On Belief That Xbox's Next Console Will Arrive In 2026
They think Call of Duty 2026 is being developed for it
A little while ago, Call of Duty leaker TheGhostofHope advised with a "huge grain of salt" that the next Xbox console could be launching in 2026, and it may have a name (or codename) of Xbox Prime. They also mentioned that CoD 2026 might be a launch title for it, and that the goal of 2026 was...
News Game Pass Sets New Quarterly Revenue Record, Grows PC Subs 'By Over 30%'
Microsoft CEO: Black Ops 6 and Indiana Jones played a huge part
Microsoft's latest earnings report is in and although its gaming division's hardware business has suffered another decline, Xbox's "content and services" are up. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has now gone into a bit more detail, revealing how Game Pass has set a new quarterly record in...
News Xbox's Multiplatform Releases Made Microsoft The Top Game Publisher In The World Last Month
Trouncing EA in the process
Data firm Ampere has released some interesting stats about the month of December in gaming - stats that name Microsoft as the top publisher in the world for the final month of 2024. According to the analyst group, $465 million was spent on Xbox games last month, making Microsoft the biggest publisher across Xbox,...
News Black Ops 6 Season 2 Brings Back Classic Maps & Modes On Xbox Game Pass
Alongside another new Zombies level!
Treyarch and Activision have announced the next season of Black Ops 6 and Warzone, set to kick off on January 28th with lots of new content. Season 02 of Black Ops 6 will bring five multiplayer maps, a brand-new Zombies experience, new weapons and more to the Xbox Game Pass FPS. Of those five multiplayer maps
News Call Of Duty's Crazy Development Budgets Revealed In New Report
Xbox will be spending a pretty penny
As game development budgets continue to rise, it's perhaps no surprise that churning out a big AAA shooter every year is a pricey endeavour. For well over a decade, Activision's Call of Duty has been the biggest AAA shooter of them all - and a new report details some of the eyewatering budgets that have gone into...
News Xbox Exec Appears At AMD's CES Keynote, Shares Black Ops 6 News
Matt Booty: FSR 4 is coming "later this year"
It's a new year for Xbox and as part of its campaign going beyond consoles, it seems we may see Microsoft gaming executives pop up at more tech events in general. With this in mind, CES '25 is currently underway, and apart from Jason Ronald appearing at the "future of gaming handhelds" panel, Microsoft's...
News Call Of Duty's Unique 'Squid Game' Event Looks Well Worth Checking Out On Xbox Game Pass
With a chance to get free rewards!
These days, crossovers with other IP are pretty much the norm in online gaming, but this weekend's Call of Duty x Squid Game event actually looks worth paying attention to on Xbox Game Pass. This big Black Ops 6 & Warzone get-together, which starts today (January 3rd), contains some unique-looking game modes...
News Four More Call Of Duty Titles Seemingly Being Prepared For Xbox Game Pass
Four COD games crop up on PC
Last week, three classic Call of Duty games appeared on the Microsoft Store for PC; a sign that the company is likely preparing them for an Xbox Game Pass drop somewhere down the line. Well, you can add four more series entries to that list this week. Yep, Call of Duty: Ghosts,
News Three Call Of Duty Classics Could Be Heading To Xbox Game Pass Soon
They've suddenly received new PC releases
Ever since Microsoft acquired Activison Blizzard last year, we've periodically seen classic titles from the company's back catalogue receiving new PC versions - usually followed by their Xbox Game Pass arrivals at some point later on. This week, three classic Call of Duty titles have suddenly received new...
Random Some Black Ops 6 Fans Are Already Over The Game's 'Obnoxious' DLC Skins
"Been loving Black Ops 6 so far but..."
Since the Fortnite boom, more and more online shooters have introduced cosmetic microtransactions. Even the war-themed title Call of Duty has taken inspiration from this over the years, and although the series has already added all sorts of wacky cosmetics in past iterations, the latest skins in Black Ops 6...
News Black Ops 6's First Free Zombies DLC Comes To Xbox Game Pass Next Week
Welcome to Citadelle Des Morts
During the reveal of Black Ops 6 Season 01, developer Treyarch announced that a brand-new Zombies experience was coming to the game at some point this season - and that time is almost upon us. Revealed this week via a new cinematic trailer, new Black Ops 6 Zombies map 'Citadelle Des Morts' comes to Xbox Game Pass on...
News Call Of Duty Becomes Most-Played Game On Xbox After Incredible Black Ops 6 Launch
Beating Fortnite, Roblox
After playing host to Activision's most-successful Call of Duty launch month of all time, Black Ops 6 has now become to the most played game on Xbox in the US - beating out some huge free-to-play titles in the process. Yep, if you check the current most-played Xbox games list in the US, Call o
News Black Ops 6 Biggest Ever Call Of Duty Launch Month, According To Activision
"One for the record books"
It's now been a month since the arrival of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 on Xbox Game Pass and multiple platforms including Xbox Series X|S. We've already heard how it set some records in its opening weekend and now Activision has shared another update. According to its official social accounts, Black Ops 6 has become the...
News Xbox Game Pass Didn't Hurt Overall Black Ops 6 Sales, Says Analyst
But PlayStation dominated the split
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 was the first series entry to launch day one on Xbox Game Pass, and naturally, that led to questions about whether such a move would affect sales. While the title's Game Pass inclusion seems to have dented Xbox sales specifically, PC and PS5 have more than pulled their weight to make up...
News PlayStation's Call Of Duty Timed Exclusivity Deal Is Now Officially Over
MW3 DLC packs can now come to Xbox
Microsoft may have acquired Call of Duty publisher Activision more than a year ago, but the Xbox owner vowed to uphold any existing deals that the franchise had with PlayStation owner Sony - and the last of those deals has now officially come to an end. Yep, as pointed out by CharlieIntel, last year's
News Black Ops 6 Comparison Shows How Xbox One & Series X|S Perform
"The campaign is much better enjoyed on current-gen"
As usual, the team at Digital Foundry has taken a look at Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 across every console platform that it's available on - and there's some interesting results here on the Xbox machines, especially last-gen. As you can see in the comparison video up above, the outlet has tested...
News Call Of Duty Will Follow Same Established Development Structure Under Microsoft
At least in the foreseeable future...
In the same Washington Post story, Activision has pointed out not only the success of the Call of Duty series but also how the development structure of the series will apparently be no different under Microsoft's rule. Activision's Call of Duty senior vice president and general manager Matt Cox explained how...
News Xbox's Call Of Duty Series Has Now Sold Over 500 Million Copies
Black Ops 6 got it over the line
During Microsoft's recent earnings call, the team touched on Black Ops 6 being the biggest launch in franchise history, and now some additional context from The Washington Post tells us that the
News Black Ops 6 Biggest Ever Call Of Duty Launch, According To Microsoft CEO
Activision confirms it broke multiple records
Activision has confirmed Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has set "new day one and opening weekend records" for the series. Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella also mentioned how last week's launch was the "biggest" Call of Duty release ever - not only setting "a record for day one players" but also for "Game Pass...
Poll What Do You Think Of Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 So Far?
Let's get some initial impressions then!
Alright, it's been well over 24 hours since Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 officially launched on Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S via Game Pass, and if you're interested in it, we're hoping you'll have had time to play a bit already! This is obviously a huge package featuring a single-player campaign...
Feature Black Ops 6 Campaign Review (Xbox) - Supernatural Surprises Elevate This Year's Call Of Duty
Dark ops
Call of Duty is back, this time with another Black Ops entry for the first time since 2020's Black Ops Cold War. Just like that four-year old COD title, Black Ops 6's campaign has been put together by Raven Software - but this time around you can really feel the extra development time. Four years in the making and featuring an actual
News Xbox Game Pass Adds Two Call Of Duty 'Cloud' Titles Today, Along With Black Ops 6
Technically three XGP additions to finish the week
Happy Call of Duty day! Black Ops 6 is finally now available in most regions as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, meaning you can check it out right now with your subscription on Xbox One, Series X, Series S, PC and the cloud. <related ids="173631"> Speaking of the cloud, Black Ops 6 isn't...
