The recent Xbox Games Showcase featured a wide range of upcoming projects and hardware for fans to get excited about, with the official reveal ofCall of Duty: Black Ops 7capping off the main event. This recent announcement of 2025’sCoDofferings lines up perfectly with the theories that have surrounded the project for quite some time, with the trailer for the game confirming its nature as adirect sequel to 2012’sBlack Ops 2.
A lot of pressure is already being placed onCall of Duty: Black Ops 7as the second consecutive entry to theBlack Opsfranchise, with some fans being concerned that the title may face the same pitfalls as the recentModern Warfare 3did by following up directly from 2022’sModern Warfare 2. While the announcement has predictably stirred up a lot of debate around the widerCall of Dutyfranchise, the unique trailer forBlack Ops 7was full of interesting details, with its level of showcased technology being a great indicator of the game’s unique design between the themes ofBlack Ops 2andBlack Ops 3.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Has Already Established its Unique Timeline Aesthetic
The high hopes that Microsoft has forCall of Duty: Black Ops 7were echoed in the game’s presence as the finalreveal for the recent Xbox Games Showcase, with the reveal largely lining up with what fans were expecting from this year’sCall of Dutyreveal. As a direct sequel toBlack Ops 2,Black Ops 7is faced with the complex task of having to create a canon ending to the 2012 title, with parts of the recent trailer showcasing the likes of David Mason and Raul Menendez.
It has been confirmed that other iconicBlack Ops 2characters like Harper will be making a return inBlack Ops 7, with Michael Rooker thankfully reprising the role, with it being clear that the game is extending slightly beyond the 2025 setting ofBlack Ops 2itself. This placesBlack Ops 7roughly around the 2030s, having greater implications on agingcharacters like Menendez or even Frank Woods, with a lot of the game’s design having to pay close attention to the weaponry and technological design ofBlack Ops 3.
Alongside the predictable return of Zombies inBlack Ops 7, the game is even confirmed to feature co-operative campaign functionality.
WhileBlack Ops 3’s campaign was quite divisivedue to its mind-bending themes and lack of direct association to previousBlack Opsgames, the title took place in 2065, a full 40 years afterBlack Ops 2, meaning thatBlack Ops 7will operate in the timeline blank spot between these two games. This hybrid design betweenBlack Ops 2and3was echoed in the reveal trailer forBlack Ops 7, with humanoid robots appearing throughout the cinematic.
Black Ops 7 is Setting Up the Technology That Dominated Black Ops 3’s Story
Of course, this level of robotic technology played a big role inBlack Ops 3’s2060s timeline, withthe multiplayer operator Reapershowcasing how these forms of robots were eventually being used for combat purposes. Similar robot technology appears inBlack Ops 7’s trailer via an organization known as The Guild, which appears in the wider narrative ofBlack Ops 6. Through the trailer, it seems clear that The Guild played a significant role in terms of developing a lot of the advanced weaponry and robotic combatants that appear throughoutBlack Ops 3, with this explosion of military tech likely being at the center ofBlack Ops 7’s narrative.
It is understandable that aspects ofBlack Ops 7’s trailer like the appearance of Masonand Menendez, or even its brief Zombies teaser, have drawn so much attention, yet the blended design approach between the tech ofBlack Ops 2and3seems like one of the most interesting parts of the upcoming project. TheBlack Opstimeline has been considered to be quite convoluted for some time now, and it appears thatBlack Ops 7is trying hard to create a greater observable flow of things like technology, if the game’s trailer is anything to go by.
