Does Black Ops 7 Mark the End of Single-Player Call of Duty?

Call of Duty has historically balanced its multiplayer dominance with elaborate single-player campaigns, but the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 suggests a significant pivot in development priorities. The new title brands its narrative mode as a "co-op campaign," utilizing a four-person squad structure that fundamentally departs from the cinematic, solitary experience that defined previous entries like Black Ops 6.

IGN reports that Black Ops 7 eschews traditional campaign elements for mechanics common in multiplayer looter-shooters. The game introduces enemy health bars, damage numbers, and color-coded tiered weaponry sourced from loot boxes rather than fallen enemies. Furthermore, the removal of AI-controlled squadmates and the requirement for a persistent online connection—which prevents pausing and penalizes inactivity—marks a clear shift toward a live-service framework.

The campaign's 11 missions function primarily as a prelude to "Endgame," a 32-player PvE mode set in the open-world map of Avalon. This mode supports long-term progression similar to titles like Destiny or Warzone. Miles Leslie, the game's associate creative director, noted that while the team intends for players to experience the story initially, Activision is considering allowing players to skip the narrative missions entirely to access the Endgame content immediately.

Data regarding player engagement appears to be driving this transition. Completion statistics indicate that only 5% of PlayStation players finished the campaign for Black Ops 6, with similarly low engagement seen in 2022's Modern Warfare 2. These figures suggest that the vast majority of the audience prefers multiplayer experiences, incentivizing Activision to adopt models that mirror successful social shooters. While Modern Warfare 3 experimented with open-combat missions, Black Ops 7 represents a comprehensive embrace of co-op-focused design, potentially signaling the end of the traditional linear first-person shooter campaign in the franchise.