Black Ops 7 is a sequel to Black Ops 2, and it’s bringing co-op campaign back to Call of Duty

Xbox couldn’t end its summer Games Showcase without teasing the next Call of Duty, which, just like rumours and reports have long suggested, is a Black Ops sequel. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is the first consecutive release within the Black Ops series, and it arrives later this year.

Also as expected, the game will be released on last-gen consoles (PS4, and Xbox One) alongside PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. No release date has been announced, but we are going to learn more later this summer.

Treyarch, and Raven Software once again return to co-develop the game, which is essentially a Black Ops 2 sequel – though it also follows on from the events of Black Ops 6. The headline feature this time around is the ability to play the campaign in co-op, which we’ve not seen since Black Ops 3 a decade ago.

Black Ops 4 did not have a campaign at all, but reports at the time strongly suggested that an ambitious co-op campaign with open maps was in the works, before it got scrapped to make the game’s release date.

As for the trailer, it was the ‘one more thing’ shown at the Xbox Games Showcase. Only the sharpest of Black Ops fans would’ve figured out that it was David Mason being shown exploring some sort of robotics facility – but not everything is as seems. Just like every Black Ops game, Black Ops 7’s narrative will incorporate some mind-bending elements, and we certainly do some of that in the footage.

The story takes place in 2035, a decade after the events of Black Ops 2. Psychological warfare is the name of the game, and the villan (Menendez) is a manipulator who uses cutting-edge tech to weaponise fear against their enemies.

Black Ops 7 is also bringing back round-based Zombies. As for multiplayer, expect near-future weaponry and a host of new maps – which really makes it a BO2 sequel. A full reveal will take place “later this summer,” but the teams want players to get more time out of Black Ops 6 and Warzone before everyone’s focus shifts to the new game.

Black Ops 7 is a day-one Game Pass game, available at no extra cost to Ultimate, and PC Game Pass members.