The first-person shooter "Call of Duty" is usually one of the best-selling games. But this year's "Black Ops 7" is going up against unusually tough competition in the form of the half-Swedish "Battlefield 6" and the all-Swedish success "Arc Raiders".
"There's always something new happening and you can't let that distract you. You have to put on the blinders and say we're going to execute the vision that we believe in and that we think will resonate with the players," says Miles Leslie.
For themselves
“Black Ops” is about special forces missions in covert operations, and this year’s title was developed in tandem with last year’s “Black Ops 6.” The former, however, was set in 1991, this time the year is 2035.
It was interesting to see them side by side, because it allowed us to separate them further apart so that they really stand on their own.
In season six, the minds of several of the main characters were explored through hallucinations, which is something that Treyarch is building on.
We all feel worries and regrets. But what happens if you really need to face them, not as a thought but as a physical manifestation?
A balancing act
The method is an opportunity to break the agreement between the game and the player about what rules apply. For the creators, it is a creative tool, but it is also a balancing act, Leslie admits.
Then you lose the player and then it doesn't serve the story or the unique gameplay. We had a good talk about what was too much or not and there is a conscious thought behind everything.
Angola and Australia are among the locations visited in the game. But Leslie especially wants to highlight Japan, which is featured in a “Black Ops” game for the first time.
It felt special to us to bring Japan in, to portray it not only in the story but in the multiplayer and bring these places to life. We studied it so much and I think we pulled it off in an interesting way.
Gustav Sjöholm/TT
Facts: "Call of Duty"
TT
Activision's first-person shooter "Call of Duty" is a game series that has been around since 2003. The first games were set during World War II, but since 2007 they have been set in mainly other eras.
To maintain a high release rate of about one game a year, four studios – Sledgehammer, Infinity Ward, Treyarch and Raven Software – take turns leading development.
This year's "Call of Duty" is the 22nd game in the main series and was developed by Raven Software and Treyarch.
The game was released on November 14th for Playstation 4/5 Xbox One/Series and PC.
