Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 launches to lukewarm reviews and complaints over AI-generated assets
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Key points
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, launched on Nov. 14, 2025, was met with lukewarm reviews and community backlash over AI-generated assets.
- The title’s PC version has a Metascore of 83 points, along with an “Overwhelming Dislike” user score of 1.8 based.
- The game launch was followed by community backlash as players noted that calling cards in the title remind them of Studio Ghibli’s work.
First-person shooter, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, launched on Nov. 14, 2025, was met with lukewarm reviews and complaints from the community regarding AI-generated assets.
As of the time of writing, the title has a “Mixed” rating on Steam with 1,367 reviews. Meanwhile, on the American review aggregator Metacritic, the title’s PC version has a Metascore of 83 points based on 24 critic reviews, along with an “Overwhelming Dislike” user score of 1.8 based on 1,079 ratings.
In the first three days after the release of the new Call of Duty installment, the Call of Duty launcher on Steam, which now includes Call of Duty: Warzone, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, peaked at 100,332 concurrent players, according to SteamDB.
On top of that, the game’s launch was followed by massive community backlash as multiple players noted that calling cards in the game reminded them of Studio Ghibli’s work, thereby causing concerns regarding the usage of AI assets.
While it is not the first AI scandal involving the title’s publisher Activision, the company openly declares the usage of AI-generated assets in Call of Duty via the AI Generated Content Disclosure on the Steam page of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 in particular, due to a Steam policy Valve implemented at the beginning of 2025 requiring transparency about AI-generated content.
“Like so many around the world, we use a variety of digital tools, including AI tools, to empower and support our teams to create the best gaming experiences possible for our players. Our creative process continues to be led by the talented individuals in our studios,” said Activision in a statement issued to PC Gamer.
Developed by Treyarch, Raven Software, Beenox, High Moon Studios, Sledgehammer Games, Infinity Ward, Activision Shanghai and Demonware, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 launched for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Windows PC. The game was also added to Microsoft Gaming’s subscription service, Xbox Game Pass, on day one.
The twenty-second installment of the Call of Duty series and the eighth main entry in the Black Ops sub-series, following 2024’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, features a narrative campaign, just like previous titles of the franchise, along with a multiplayer and cooperative round-based Zombies mode.
