Activision: Minimal Pre-Promotion for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Aiming for Surprise Release Like Beyoncé's Album

In a surprising move that breaks from tradition, Microsoft unveiled *Call of Duty: Black Ops 7* during its Xbox Games Showcase in June 2025—an unusually late reveal for the franchise. The debut trailer offered minimal gameplay details, instead teasing the game’s narrative setting in the year 2035 and introducing protagonist David Mason. This calculated silence is no accident; it's part of Activision’s bold marketing strategy aimed at creating a “Beyoncé-style album drop” experience for players.

According to Tyler Bahl, Activision’s head of marketing, the team intentionally avoided early promotion to deliver something unexpected:

“Usually at this point in time, we would have teased everything that’s coming out. And I think in a lot of ways we’re setting this up more like a Beyoncé album dropping; nobody’s going to know about it, or nobody’s going to see it coming.

The whole goal was to really do something different, and for us to zag and show up in a unique way. And one way of doing that is almost not doing any pre-promotion and giving it to players in a really unexpected way.”

Although a larger reveal is expected sometime this summer, Activision may still choose to keep most details under wraps until launch. Fans might need to wait until the game releases later in 2025 to fully understand what *Black Ops 7* has in store.

What We Know So Far

Set in the year 2035—over four decades after *Black Ops 6*—the game takes place in a world teetering on the edge of chaos, shaped by events from *Black Ops 2* and *Black Ops 6*. The co-op campaign makes a triumphant return after being absent in the previous entry, with solo play still an option. Multiplayer introduces futuristic weaponry and全新地图 (new maps), while Round-Based Zombies continues its evolution deep within the Dark Aether dimension.

Wielding cutting-edge technology, David Mason and his team must fight back against a manipulative enemy who weaponizes fear above all else.

The game also features notable casting updates: Milo Ventimiglia (*This Is Us*) steps into the role of David Mason, Kiernan Shipka portrays Emma Kagen—the CEO of The Guild—and Michael Rooker reprises his iconic role as Mike Harper from *Black Ops 2*.

Platforms & Availability

Activision confirms that *Black Ops 7* will support last-gen consoles, launching on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC via Xbox PC, Battle.net, and Steam. Day-one access is available to Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers. Notably, there was no mention of a Nintendo Switch 2 release. Development is handled jointly by Treyarch and Raven Software.

A Back-to-Back Release

This marks the first time in the series' history that two *Black Ops* titles are released consecutively. Coming just a year after *Black Ops 6*, some fans worry that *Black Ops 7* could feel rushed or filler-like—similar to how *Modern Warfare 3* was perceived when it launched just a year after *Modern Warfare 2*. However, Activision stands firm in stating that *Black Ops 7* offers the full *Call of Duty* experience players expect.

Looking ahead, Infinity Ward is expected to return with a new *Modern Warfare* title in 2026, resetting the annual cycle of the franchise.

For more information, check out everything announced at the [Xbox Games Showcase June 2025].