The Call of Duty development team has conceded that the new title, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, is struggling, and will open its multiplayer and zombie modes for free for one week.

The news was shared on the 9th via the official Call of Duty blog. The developers stated, "We are well aware that our game has failed to meet the expectations of some players," and announced that starting from the week of the 15th, multiplayer and zombie modes will be fully free for seven days. A double XP event will also run during this period to assist with progression.

Behind this decision lies the poor commercial performance of Black Ops 7. The peak concurrent player count on Steam reached only about 100,000, a 69% drop from its predecessor, Black Ops 6 (around 315,000), and a significantly lower figure compared to its rival, Battlefield 6 (around 740,000). Steam user reviews also reflect criticisms regarding the lack of differentiation from previous entries, lackluster campaign completion, and optimization issues, leaving the rating at 'Mostly Negative' (2,544 reviews, 39% positive) as of 11:00 AM on December 15th.

In response, the development team revealed their future direction alongside the free-access news. They plan to provide full support for the ongoing Season 1 while actively incorporating user feedback to improve the game. They further added, "We intend to break away from the practice of releasing Modern Warfare and Black Ops titles every year, and instead strive for innovative change." Specific details regarding this plan will be unveiled at a later date.