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The competitive market for shooters in 2025 is more crowded than ever, and between the huge success of Battlefield 6 and the sudden explosion of ARC Raiders, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 seems to have entered the year in a difficult position, and the early results confirm it.
According to figures published by Zuby_Tech, Black Ops 7 sales in Japanese stores during its first week totaled 12,311 copies on PlayStation 5 and less than 1,800 copies on PlayStation 4 (not officially confirmed)
This makes Black Ops 7 the lowest launch in Call of Duty history in Japan, surpassing the previous record set in 2007 with Call of Duty 3, which sold 14,117 copies in its first week.
The Japanese market is not the strongest for the series, but when this data is compared to the 50% drop in sales in Europe and the overall decline in interest, clear trends emerge: Black Ops 7 is not as popular as expected, interest in the series is at its lowest point in years, and the competition in 2025 is stronger than ever
While Black Ops 7 is struggling to make a strong presence, Battlefield 6 is posting stellar sales and player numbers, ARC Raiders is entering the top-grossing list globally just two days after launch, PvPvE and F2P experiences are stealing attention from traditional titles, and even the player count comparison has quickly ended in favor of Battlefield 6 in just one week.
After the strong performance of Black Ops 6, expectations were very high, but Black Ops 7 seems to have fallen victim to a weak marketing campaign, a lukewarm reception to the premiere, audience fatigue from the annual Call of Duty mode, and players’ changing tastes towards service games and long multiplayer
Activision seems to be facing a critical moment before Call of Duty 2026: does the series need a radical change, a year-long break, or a complete reimagining of the identity?
