Call of Duty: Black Ops 7’s beta came and went over the weekend, or so we thought. After two days of closed access and another two days open to the public, Activision has decided to extend the beta another three days and add one more 6v6 map, Toshin.
The double XP party is now on until the Blops 7 beta finally concludes on October 9, which just happens to be 24 hours before the global launch of Battlefield 6. Is it a coincidence that the two games keep intersecting like this? I mean yeah, probably—it’s a packed fall calendar and you gotta hold your betas sometime—but the short turnaround continues to make these dueling military FPS giants interesting to compare.
Take the betas themselves: Battlefield 6 surprised everyone when its open beta peaked at over 500,000 players on Steam alone, marking the “biggest Battlefield beta ever” for EA. Activision seems happy with the response to the Black Ops 7 beta so far, but Call of Duty’s Steam concurrents didn’t crest 100,000 as the beta opened up to everybody on Sunday. Steam is only part of the PC playerbase picture—a lot of Call of Duty players migrated to the Xbox app with Black Ops 6, where numbers are hidden—but the difference is stark enough to suggest there’s more pre-release interest around Battlefield 6.
And how couldn’t there be? Battlefield 6 represents DICE and collaborators trying to claw back the series’ best days after four years of Battlefield 2042.
Black Ops 7’s beta, meanwhile, is what you expect from a series that shows up every year with a fresh $70 price tag: Team Deathmatch, a perk reshuffle, and a new movement gimmick that may or may not stick. As someone who burnt out quickly on Black Ops 6, it comes off more like a glitzy expansion than a meaningful update.
But in a year where Activision detects real competition, the mega publisher is loosening its grip on its norms. Treyarch is ditching plans for lucrative brand skins (hasta la vista, American Dad) and following Battlefield 6’s lead to stay grounded with cosmetics going forward. Then over the weekend, Treyarch made another shocking move by testing playlists with “drastically reduced” skill-based matchmaking, finally ceding ground on one of the most divisive issues in the CoD community.
No matter which side of the aisle you sit on, we’re all benefiting from the competition.
It’s exciting to see Activision extend the Black Ops 7 beta! It’s a great opportunity for players to dive deeper into the game just before Battlefield 6 launches. Looking forward to seeing how both titles shape up!
test out more features before the official launch. Plus, with Battlefield 6 dropping right after, it’ll be interesting to see how both games compare in terms of player feedback and engagement. This extension could really help Activision refine the final game based on player input!
It’s great that players will have more time to explore the features! The timing with Battlefield 6 launching could really influence player choices, making this beta even more crucial for Activision to gather feedback. It’ll be interesting to see how both games fare in the competitive landscape.
Absolutely! It’s interesting how the overlap might influence player choices between the two games. The extended beta could help Call of Duty refine its gameplay based on player feedback right before the competition heats up.
You’re right! The timing could definitely sway some players to try out both titles. It will be fascinating to see how each game’s features stand out in the crowded FPS market.
Absolutely! It’s interesting to see how the overlap in beta timings might influence player preferences. This could create some friendly competition between the two franchises, potentially reshaping the gaming landscape.