Activision and Treyarch have agreed that a free trial will be made available for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7; therefore, it is the case that no less than 20 multiplayer maps and the Zombies mode ‘Ashes of the Damned’ can be accessed online and played for free until December 22. Their intention is to attract new players; however, their plan has already turned into a public relations fiasco with the community criticizing the plan and raising the issues of price reductions, technical difficulties, and a problem with stolen accounts.
Indeed, playing Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has become the talk of the town with no restrictions now. This is the most important and direct information coming from the official Call of Duty account on Twitter. The huge multiplayer, plus the new Zombies area, and selected modes can be all enjoyed for free. But what was the response? It has been… quite mixed, to say the least. I mean very messy. The replies to that announcement are a wild mixture of excitement, anger, and just sheer discontent with the situation of the game. It is a drama.
Let us break it down. what was supposed to be a free trial turned out to be a real good offer. More than 20 maps? A full Zombies chapter? That’s a long time to get accustomed to the game and many players were really elated about it. A user named RovenOP was so excited that he wrote, “🔥 Free trial with 20+ MP maps + Zombies? Say less. Time to jump in, grind hard, and see why #BlackOps7 is built different 😤💥.” So it is pretty clear there is a bunch of players who are really keen to get their hands on it, and they might be those who were sitting on the fence for a long time or simply wait till it gets to Game Pass or something.
But then, wow, you continue scrolling down. The widespread sentiment is not one of appreciation; it is one of unfaithfulness. One of the main reasons is the selling price of the game. Black Ops 7 was released just one month ago at the regular price of $70 and it has already been marked down by 30% in certain locations, while the free trial is akin to pouring salt into the wound for early buyers. User MarvinWinterst4 took a very direct stance: “1 month ago this Game was priced at 70$ and now it’s already 30% off? What the fuck… COD players truly got scammed.” Another gamer, Qwix even declared he would sell his shares in Microsoft due to this as he labeled the decision “embarrassing.” That is one unbelievable gamer rant right there.
It is not only about price though. The trial either uncovered new issues or intensified the existing ones, which consumers are loud about now. The comment section is a place where users express their grievances. Gamers can’t swap loadouts. Xbox does not have in-game voice chat working. The ‘Danger Close’ wildcard is a no-show for challenges. User RedStarDragon28’s experience in losing a heated Hardpoint match was due to the game shutting down at a critical point. Another user, Okami Sumo, highlighted that the players on trial cannot even participate in private matches which seems to counter the idea of trying to have fun with friends. It is a whole lot of trouble.
What was I saying? Ah yes, the bugs. The major and most vocal complaint cutting through all the commotion is with regards to cheating. It is nearly in every response. User JosephZero_ simply stated, “Cod is rewarding cheaters that’s the main issue and the reason no one is playing. They rather play arc raiders.” Another user, Lin, asserted, “I think that bo7 is the best one in the past four years but the cheating is excessive.” This opinion is also held by others who find the core gameplay fun but spoiled by ineffective anti-cheat measures. It is a problem that has been plaguing Call of Duty for a long time and the free trial might be just luring it in.
Some negative remarks are about certain game modes. User JIGSAWI2 criticized Zombies and said, “Zombie mode is horrible; the boss and zombies are so tough it’s like they are being paid to be killed.” And of course, the everlasting Warzone controversy was also mentioned, as a player told Activision, “no one cares you ruined warzone.” Thus, the shadow of past games still looms large.
A few replies showed a strange mix of acceptance and optimism. User KopSlim commented, “I have stopped buying Cod every year since mw3. I will try free trial just to level up some guns for warzone like I did with bo6. Thank you anyway.” For some, this is nothing but a free gun-leveling tool for Warzone, which is a whole different story. And some, like many PlayStation and Xbox players, are just dealing with the usual platform issues.
