The internet did what it does best. Dataminers went digging into the COD Black Ops 7 Vault Edition skins in the game’s files, and, well, let us say the reactions have been… mixed? Scratch that: It’s people roasting Activision to the fullest at this moment.
The leak surfaced via a tweet from CharlieINTEL showing what looks to be the premium cosmetic contents of the upcoming Black Ops title. Within minutes, the section for replying transformed into a war zone with hot takes, memes, and pure battleground energy between COD-defending and COD-depreciating clans.
So what are we looking at first? The Vault Edition is the highest-level Call of Duty pre-order. It gives the skins for exclusive operators, weapon blueprints, and tons of digital goodies. Judging from the files that are seen, we’re looking at futuristic-style designs that have only managed to gain comments like “blocky” and “uninspired” from the seasoned players. One player, @ExcelsHyper, went so far as to say, “this is not call of duty that i know,” which…ouch.
Reactions from all walks range from mild displeasure to full revolt, with @SirJimiee commenting, “an absolutely horrible (but not surprising) first impression of BO7,” while @venomshine_ gave the classic treatment: “I see nothing but garbage 🗑️.” Positive comments get ratio’d, with @rumGlossy stating, “The reaper skin is really cool,” which almost immediately was responded to with “Hell no 🤣” from @ObasWww.
Now, here is where things get spicy. Ever since the COD versus Battlefield rivalry kick-started, it’s remained alive and kicking in these replies. @ZoieNolan1 said, “No gives a fuck about COD anymore, it’s almost dead. We’re all on Battlefield now,” a bold statement indeed, considering Warzone’s player counts. This gave rise to multiple threads as to which franchise is more washed, with @Lurichans saying BO7 will launch “in a state like every other COD game since BO4” and @chunkylilpeanut counteracting that COD is gonna break every record.
Some of the best moments come from creativity in the insults. @oec2025 simply said, “How low have they fallen,” with a gif of a dumpster fire. Another, @novice1211x, compared the skins to those of “path finders and chappie” in Apex Legends. @MilleniumCondor is already looking past BO7: “Now we will have to wait MW IV in 2026 for a return to serious things.”
Keeping it real, we’ve got @MAJJIANNO: “Gonna buy it but yall just gonna make the same bs.” Because, even though everybody complains, the moment these games end up selling will mark the beginning of the whole renewed cycle.
Now it is worth wondering what in the world this leak does for the greater conversation about COD’s identity crisis. Are we too far removed from the roots of military sim? Are the skins getting too out there? Or is that just how contemporary multiplayer games are now anyway? The responses lay bare the split between the players: these who really want “serious” COD and those that are okay with flashy cosmetics.
Activision has not made any official comment on the topic of these leaks so far, but with how widespread they have become, it would be fitting for a response to come very soon. They could even opt to retcon the designs of which we speak, or they could just go all-in. Either way, it has certainly made things much more exciting lately.
One thing’s certain: love it or hate it, family-time talk’s all about COD. And in the gaming industry, that’s currency. Next question will be whether this controversy will affect sales when it hits the shelves…but honestly, we already know the answer.
