Treyarch is concluding its work on the Call of Duty: Black Ops sub-franchise, with the studio signaling a departure from the series following the release of its final season for Black Ops 7. In a recent developer video, Treyarch employees expressed a readiness to move in a new direction and create experiences players have not encountered before.
Design Director Kevin Drew stated in the video that the past two years of developing Black Ops titles have been a learning experience, but the team is now eager to "make something new and something that nobody’s ever experienced before." The final season, Season 6, was set to launch on September 17th. Yale Miller, co-studio head, conveyed pride in the studio's recent output, noting that they set "new benchmarks with Black Ops 6" and delivered "the biggest Black Ops game ever" with Black Ops 7.
This shift away from the Black Ops series follows a period of diminished reception for the games. Activision acknowledged late last year that it was reevaluating its strategy of releasing back-to-back Black Ops and Modern Warfare entries. This decision came after Black Ops 7 experienced the worst sales for a Call of Duty title in the U.S. since 2008, with both critics and players reportedly unimpressed by its futuristic setting, open-world campaign elements, and sci-fi missions.
The future direction for Treyarch's next Call of Duty title remains undisclosed, though it is highly anticipated that it will not be part of the Black Ops franchise. The next major installment in the Call of Duty series overall, Modern Warfare 4, is slated for release in October across PlayStation 5, Xbox, Switch 2, and PC.