Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 devs thank players for the “great response” — despite a 1.7 score on Metacritic

Activision Blizzard has once again found itself in an awkward position. To mark the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, the company posted a short message on X, thanking players for the “great response.”

The problem? Black Ops 7 is drowning in negative feedback. From day one, players have criticized its rushed campaign and AI-generated achievement icons. The backlash has pushed the shooter into the bottom tier of the franchise: its user score now sits at 1.7 on Metacritic, with a 41% rating on Steam.

Comments on X were quick to highlight the contrast.

Meanwhile, Call of Duty’s biggest rival — Battlefield 6 — is in a much healthier spot. Its rating did drop after the launch of a free battle royale mode, but the game still peaked at nearly 300,000 concurrent players on Steam over the weekend.