Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has become one of the most controversial releases in the franchise's storied history, with players across multiple platforms requesting refunds in unprecedented numbers. Launched on November 14, 2025, the game has been met with fierce backlash from the gaming community, earning the dubious distinction of being the lowest-rated Call of Duty title ever on Metacritic with a user score of just 1.7 out of 10. What went wrong with this highly anticipated release, and why are so many players choosing to abandon ship?
The AI-Generated Content Controversy
One of the primary catalysts driving refund requests centers around allegations of AI-generated assets within the game. Players quickly identified what they termed "AI slop" in the game's Calling Cards—cosmetic items that appear on player profiles—noting distorted textures, nonsensical art styles, and anatomical errors characteristic of algorithmically generated images.
The controversy escalated when players discovered these AI-generated elements were never disclosed in the game's marketing materials. Steam users successfully secured refunds by citing "the game constantly utilized AI generated options that were not present in the marketing for the game". One player reported completing the entire campaign before receiving a full $69.99 refund from Valve after explaining the undisclosed AI usage.
Activision eventually released a statement acknowledging their use of AI tools, stating that "like so many around the world, we use a variety of digital tools, including AI tools, to empower and support our teams to create the best gaming experiences possible for our players". However, this explanation did little to quell player anger, with many feeling deceived about what they were purchasing.
The Always-Online Campaign Nightmare
Perhaps the most universally criticized aspect of Black Ops 7 is its campaign mode, which players have called "the worst in Call of Duty history". Unlike traditional Call of Duty campaigns, Black Ops 7's story mode is designed as a four-player co-op experience that requires a constant online connection, even when playing solo.
This always-online requirement introduces several frustrating limitations. Players cannot pause the game at any point during the campaign, even when playing alone. The game will kick players back to the main menu if they remain idle for too long, and there are no checkpoints during missions. This means if players get disconnected, need to step away briefly, or if the game crashes, they must restart the entire mission from the beginning.
The situation becomes even more aggravating when Activision pushes daily updates. Players report being forcibly ejected from missions mid-gameplay to install updates, losing all progress in the process. For a $70 premium game, these design choices feel punitive rather than innovative.
No AI Teammates and Solo Player Alienation
Compounding the campaign's problems is the complete absence of AI squadmates for solo players. The narrative revolves around a four-person JSOC squad, with all characters fully voiced and constantly communicating during gameplay. However, when playing alone, these teammates simply don't exist in the game world, creating a bizarre experience where the protagonist appears to be talking to ghosts.
The campaign was clearly designed with four players in mind, featuring missions that require planting explosives in multiple locations simultaneously or completing objectives that feel tedious and repetitive when tackled solo. Without the option to fill empty squad slots with AI companions, solo players are left with a disjointed, frustrating experience that fundamentally misunderstands what made previous Call of Duty campaigns successful.
Plummeting Player Counts on Steam
The reception issues are reflected starkly in the game's Steam player numbers. Black Ops 7 peaked at approximately 81,000 to 100,000 concurrent players during its launch weekend—a catastrophic drop compared to Black Ops 6's 315,000 concurrent players just one year earlier. This represents a staggering 67% decline in launch day interest on the platform.
Even more concerning for Activision, competitors are dominating the Steam charts. Arc Raiders peaked at 482,000 concurrent players, while Battlefield 6 reached approximately 300,000 during the same period. For the first time in recent memory, Call of Duty is being significantly outperformed by its direct competitors on PC.
Sales Collapse in Key Markets
Beyond player counts, actual sales figures paint an equally grim picture. In the United Kingdom, physical retail sales for Black Ops 7 were down 61% compared to Black Ops 6's launch just one year prior. The game also had a smaller UK retail launch than Battlefield 6, marking a significant shift in the competitive landscape.
While some attribute these declining numbers to the game's day-one availability on Xbox Game Pass, this explanation doesn't hold up under scrutiny. Black Ops 6 was also available on Game Pass at launch and still managed significantly higher sales figures. The decline appears directly tied to poor word-of-mouth, strong competition, and negative reception rather than subscription service cannibalization.
The Metacritic Meltdown
Black Ops 7 currently holds a 1.7 out of 10 user score on Metacritic, making it the worst-rated Call of Duty game in franchise history. This is even lower than 2023's Modern Warfare III, which previously held the record with a 2.3 user score. An overwhelming 85% of user reviews are negative, with only 12% positive.
The criticism spans nearly every aspect of the game. Players describe the campaign as "brain rot," comparing boss fights to internet meme content like Skibidi Toilet rather than serious military storytelling. The narrative is accused of feeling AI-generated, with one reviewer noting it "felt more like something generated by ChatGPT than written by a human".
Interestingly, while critics have been more forgiving—awarding the game an 84 out of 100 Metascore—the disconnect between professional reviews and player sentiment has never been wider. Critics praised the game's multiplayer, zombies mode, and content volume, but players feel these positives are overshadowed by the campaign's failings and controversial design choices.
Identity Crisis and Tonal Confusion
Beyond technical and structural problems, players criticize Black Ops 7 for suffering from an identity crisis. The game attempts to straddle the line between futuristic sci-fi and grounded realism, featuring RPG-style loot mechanics, enemy health bars, boss fights, and hallucinatory sequences that feel disconnected from traditional Call of Duty gameplay.
The campaign's tone shifts wildly between serious military operations and bizarre psychedelic fever dreams, complete with fighting giant versions of characters and supernatural elements. For fans who wanted either a fully grounded realistic experience or a confidently futuristic one, Black Ops 7 delivers neither, instead occupying an uncomfortable middle ground that satisfies no one.
Many players feel the series has lost its identity in pursuit of trends, attempting to emulate games like Fortnite with cartoonish aesthetics and pop culture crossovers rather than embracing the gritty, cinematic storytelling that defined earlier entries. The result is a game that feels like it was designed by committee rather than crafted with a clear creative vision.
The Refund Wave Continues
Steam's generous refund policy has become a lifeline for disappointed players. The platform typically allows refunds for games played less than two hours, but Valve has been granting exceptions for Black Ops 7 based on the undisclosed AI content argument. Multiple users report successfully obtaining refunds even after completing the entire campaign by citing false advertising regarding AI-generated assets.
Social media is filled with screenshots of approved refund requests, with players sharing their successful refund reasons to help others. One user reported getting a refund approved with 27 hours logged on Steam by stating "False advertised no AI content". The refund wave has become so widespread that it's generating millions of views on social media, further amplifying negative sentiment around the game.
What This Means for Call of Duty's Future
While Call of Duty is too big a franchise to completely fail, Black Ops 7 represents a significant wake-up call for Activision and Microsoft. The game's poor performance comes at a critical time when Microsoft is attempting to position Call of Duty as the flagship title for Xbox Game Pass. Reports suggest Microsoft lost over $300 million in potential sales by putting Black Ops 6 on Game Pass, and with Black Ops 7 performing even worse, the financial implications are substantial.
The confluence of factors—player fatigue with annual releases, fierce competition from Arc Raiders and Battlefield 6, controversial design choices, AI content backlash, and a fundamentally flawed campaign—has created what may be the franchise's most challenging moment in years. Whether Activision will learn from these mistakes and return to the grounded, cinematic experiences that built the franchise's reputation remains to be seen.
For now, Black Ops 7 serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of chasing trends, neglecting core audiences, and implementing design choices that fundamentally misunderstand what players want from a premium $70 gaming experience. As refund requests continue to pour in and player counts remain anemic compared to competitors, the question isn't whether Black Ops 7 has failed to meet expectations—it's whether the franchise can recover its footing for future installments.
