Did the community get wind of this disappointment and, in turn, make sure that their voice is heard? Or, more so, what do they NOT want to be present from recent days? A hefty conversation was sparked by a tweet from CharlieINTEL about a wish-list for the incoming Black Ops 7 installment, and the player base had no qualms about speaking up.
Hence, the original tweet listed four things: lessen or reduce Skill-Based Matchmaking (SBMM), do not allow lobbies to disband after a match, do not let Black Ops 6 skins carry over, and go back to a much simpler UI that was present before Warzone. But that was just the kinetic. The reply showed within minutes hundreds of gamers weighing in with their two cents, and altogether, it is very clear-the players really do not like the systems they have at this moment.
Let’s put it in simple terms. Because of SBMM, it has been hailed as enemy number one. The objective is that you should meet gamers of roughly similar skill level to yourself. And that is fundamentally a fair idea, but the community does not approve. A player called @alberyte7 quite simply stated, “SBMM removed can really make the biggest change.” Meanwhile, @kenjii1981719 got straight to the point: “REMOVING SBMM/EOMM AND DISBANDING LOBBY IS THE ONLY WAY.” Frustrations are genuinely built. The players feel like there is no casual, fun match anymore; every game is a sweaty, intense struggle-clocked consequence of “balancing” measures from the game. Back in Black Ops 2, it was a thing: 50 kills 10 deaths sometimes happened; nowadays, any 20 for 20 or 30 for 29 is rigged. No wonder people cheat.
The same goes for disbanding lobbies. Remember when the fun of generation one was just chilling in that same lobby with the same lot for several matches? You could trash-talk, build rivalries, even ask for their details to hang out. Today, the game just breaks the lobby straight after every single match. This practically kills any feeling of community and makes for a very lonely, random experience. The gamers want to build that social experience.
The skin carryover issue is far more divided. “Don’t transfer over BO6 skins,” the tweet stated, which seems to be an expression of wanting a clean slate with fresh content. However, not everyone agrees. @BlGTRES answered, “Why wouldn’t you want BO6 skins to carry over? Literally just purchasing skins to use for 8months?” What an excellent point: You’ve bought an item cosmetically; you want to wear it. However, @Rezuhh_ believes skins should not be carried over too: “BO6 skins such as operator skins and camos have to transfer. No point of buying bundles if I don’t get to use them when the new cod is out.” It’s a split. On one hand, you have people who want their purchases to mean something in the long run; on the other, people just want each new game to feel somewhat different and not just a rehash for content.
Big complaints start piling up when the UI is mentioned too. It has been a confusing mess ever since Warzone was given top billing for everything Call of Duty. Trying to find your way to a simple multiplayer match is a challenge all on its own. Everyone’s clamoring for the return of the crisp, clean, efficient menus from the previous games-that actually worked.
But it didn’t stop there. The list of demands coming from the gaming community continued: “Working anti-cheat” being the biggest item mentioned by @TheCODCasuals. Cheating has been a big issue in recent CoD titles, and players are at their wits’ end. @shocktherapy_04 keeps going with more specific gameplay grievances: “Why is ads while sliding and jumping locked behind a perk when we can do that now with using a perk?” Translation: why would they restrict movement mechanics which would otherwise be standard fare for other games?
Map variety was another massive one. @kqqne stated plainly, “remake different maps instead of the same cycled ones atleast.” Players are sick and tired of whirling through the same handful of remastered maps over and over; they want fresh experiences. @DgtlShark pointed out a peculiar QoL issue: “Man you didn’t even mention the #1 biggest dogshit problem, which is actually the fact you cant change your god damn load out during last kill.” It’s those little frustrations that pile up high.
At the core of most of these replies, however, there lies a very big gut feeling of despair. @Problematik717 said it better: “Sure, they will say: we are listening to the community, then actually doing completely the inverse. Just like every other COD release :)” Cynicism was echoed by @Pako_XIII: “We say this things all years and at the end they change nothing. Cod is just like that and we cant do nothing.” That cynicism is real in that, while Activision and the developers hear the feedback, those replies are ultimately ignored in favor of their own pursuance-a pursuance frequently dictated by interest in maximizing engagement or microtransaction sales.
And JGOD, a well-known content creator, joined in on the XP gains debate, alluding to the systems that players might not even be aware of themselves. The whole thing is not surface-level complaining; players analyze deeply the mechanics through their perception of them.
So, then what is the final saying here? The Call of Duty community does seem to speak with a fairly united voice on a few core issues. They want less stringent matchmaking, more social, persistent lobbies, a cleaner game experience, and an acknowledgment that their feedback means something. Will Treyarch and Activision listen in Black Ops 7? The past says probably not, but hope dies last. Because when CoD is good, it is really good. The players want that feeling back minus the baggage of modern games. So let’s sit back and wait with bated breath on whether their pleas have yet been ignored for another whole year.
