With ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops 7’ launching soon, I’m gearing up for the mind-bending chaos ahead. Recently, MKAU Gaming joined a virtual event for Black Ops 7, hosted by Miles Leslie, Associate Director at Treyarch. Miles shared exciting new details about this entry in the series and then sat down with me for a 1-on-1 interview. There’s plenty to unpack, so let’s dive in.

Right out of the gate, Miles posed a very important question. It was a question I also found myself asking. How does the team deliver a Black Ops after a Black Ops that feels bigger than it’s ever felt before? With that goal in mind, the team has set out to push Black Ops forward into a new era. They are taking Black Ops 7 to places they’ve never been before. Fortunately for us, we will soon be able to judge for ourselves whether the team has accomplished its goals.

If there is one thing that I have learned from every Black Ops that has had a campaign, ‘Black Ops 4’, I’m looking at you, is that we can always expect a campaign that bends the mind and takes us all on journeys that have more twists and turns than a bag of pretzels. Black Ops 7’s campaign should be no different; if anything, we should just expect the unexpected. Set in the year 2035, in a world shaped by fear, the team is pulling threads from Black Ops 2 and Black Ops 6 to craft a new story. Knowing just this much already has me wondering things like: What happened to David Mason? What happened to the world after Raul Menendez unleashed the global attacks?

Will this new team of Black Ops operatives be able to finally put an end to these conflicts? Only time will tell, and I can’t wait to see just how far I go down this rabbit hole. For returning players who have played the Black Ops 2 and Black Ops 6 campaigns, you can expect a lot of “Oh Shit” moments as you discover the thread-related easter eggs throughout your playthrough. And for those who perhaps haven’t played both of the previous titles, have no fear. You won’t need to go and do a ton of homework on previous events that took place, as this is a stand-alone story. For the curious among you, I will leave a link to ‘The Story So Far’ trailer below.

For the first time since Black Ops 3, players will be able to enjoy the mind-bending narrative either by playing solo or by bringing along 3 friends to squad up with and play through the story in co-op. Not only have I been waiting for what feels like an eternity at this point for this feature to make a return to the franchise, but it’s made even better now that I’ll be able to play with friends on other platforms, thanks to crossplay.

What excites me even more than being able to squad up with my mates and play co-op through the story is that, once we are done with the story, we will unlock new end-game content.

Players can consider this an epilogue to the story, introducing a brand-new way to play, where they will push their way through danger zones in a bid to become the ultimate Black Ops operative. I am excited to see for myself not only everything that the end-game mode introduces, but also hope that the adventures can live on through the introduction of more future threats to the end-game environment.

Whilst we are still on the topic of brand-new ways to play, for the first time, ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops 7’ introduces Global Progression. This is beyond exciting for me because I enjoy spreading my playtime across every available mode. No longer will I have to dedicate a few days’ worth of time away from the squad to complete the campaign and fall far behind in the race to prestige master.

So whether you are sweating it out in Warzone fighting for the dubs, unleashing all manner of hell upon your enemies in multiplayer matches, shrieking at the terrifying chaos of zombies, or winding down an evening chilling out in Dead Ops: Arcade, you will never again miss out on that ever valuable XP.

Many of you likely participated in the Black Ops 7 multiplayer beta like I did, but for those who didn’t, here are some things that you’ll need to know before diving into the multiplayer chaos. A few new mechanics have been introduced into the multiplayer experience, including the ability to execute a wall jump, which allows you to traverse the maps in new ways. I had a lot of fun experimenting with this mechanic during the beta, to the point where I missed it when I returned to playing Warzone after the beta finished. There is a new grenade body shield finisher mechanic. This cheeky little devil will see players attach a grenade to an enemy combatant’s shield and kick them away, leading to their untimely demise.

This finisher is very handy for eliminating a group of players who are stacked, provided you have enough time to execute it. For the ratty campers among you who love nothing more than to mount up on a window ledge and lay waste to any passersby, you now can move while being mounted. This is going to allow you to cause even more carnage while you’ve got that chokepoint locked down tighter than Fort Knox.

Multiplayer is set to launch with a whopping 18 maps that include 13 brand new map locations from across the globe. Fun fact: The map Exposure, which we experienced in the beta, is set in the great land down under, Australia. We have 3 fan-favourite maps from Black Ops 2, which have been fully reimagined and set in Japan. Express, Raid, and Hijacked are making their triumphant return. There will also be 2 launch maps that are significantly larger in scale for the brand-new Skirmish mode. Skirmish is a 20 vs 20 multiplayer mode that is played on large maps that have vehicles, wingsuits, and the usual onslaught that comes with your regular loadout. I may not have a lot of details on this particular mode right now, but I am certainly looking forward to trying it out and seeing what mischief I can get into.

Zombies mode has been a staple in the Call of Duty franchise for many years now; however, in recent years, I’ve been feeling somewhat underwhelmed by the experiences that have been delivered. Many new iterations of this mode have been introduced over the years, but in my humble opinion, nothing has compared to the magic that Black Ops 2’s Transit provided. Black Ops 7’s Zombies mode is set to finally scratch that itch in a massive way. The team has created a Zombies experience that also tugs at some of those Black Ops 2 threads, where the new team meets the old, playing out on the largest round-based map ever created.

I was a huge fan of Transit and spent many hours awaiting the bus’s arrival, which led me to always wish we had a vehicle of our own to drive around and explore the map with. That wish is finally coming true in Black Ops 7 with the introduction of crafting the all-new wonder vehicle, which can also be upgraded along the way. There are multiple modes for players to sink their teeth into, which is sure to satiate the biggest of appetites.

You have your standard mode, where players will make their way through the dark aether realm and discover the crazy story that is set to unfold. Directed mode will make its return in season one, allowing new players to experience the main story without the hassle of trying to figure it out for themselves. Survival mode is designed to evoke that old-school pop ’til you drop kind of feeling. This more streamlined mode is ideal for players who may be a little overwhelmed by the story-focused content, and it is a great way to get a good feel for zombies by simply trying to survive for as long as possible.

Finally, for the hardcore zombies fans, we will be seeing the introduction of a new way to play in Cursed mode. Cursed mode is sure to dish out the punishment and provide the ultimate challenge for veterans by delivering the hardest challenge yet. I hope to see you in Ashes of the Damned when ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops 7’ launches on Friday.

Warzone has become a significant part of my daily routine in recent months and is also set to undergo a few changes. This will introduce 2 new drop locations in Verdansk: Signal Station and Factory. Along with the addition of these 2 new locations, Resurgance will also be seeing the introduction of a brand-new map (Season 1): Haven’s Hollow, which is a completely redesigned map of Liberty Falls, which ties this map very neatly back into the zombies lore.

‘Call of Duty: Black Ops 7’ has more ways to play than ever before, which makes me very excited for launch. When Miles told us the game was big, I was very grateful that he didn’t just mean in terms of install file size.

Now, with the event out of the way and wrapped up, it was time for me to sit down with Miles, where I got to ask a few questions about the development of ‘Call of Duty Black Ops 7’. Before I share with you what Miles had to say, I would like to extend a huge Thank You to Miles for taking the time out of his busy schedule to chat with me. Now, let’s get into it.

Gary: “What has been the most challenging aspect of developing Black Ops 7? Was there a particular feature or mechanic that required more iteration than anticipated?”

Miles: “Yeah, that’s a good question. I think one of them is the co-op campaign. We wanted to make sure, because we don’t have difficulties anymore, that players were getting the right challenge. So that took a lot of iteration, playing through it, and making sure that it was challenging you in the right way, but it was never unfair. So that was difficult to land, and I think that we’re landing in a really good spot, where no matter how you play, you’re going to get the right amount of challenge with the story, and really force you to use your thinking and strategy throughout the missions. The other hard one was wall jump; we were developing it and putting it into maps, and you just have to play it to get the feel of it. But once we did it sort of unlocked for the team, where it was like, man, wouldn’t it be cool if I could do a shortcut up here and add this, and then I jump off this. We were like, Yes, that’s it, and so we just kept going and iterating it, and so I think it turned from a challenge to a strength. Then we had an abundance of ideas, and we can’t do all of them.”

Gary: “How has player feedback from previous Black Ops games influenced the development of Black Ops 7? Are there any fan-requested features that made it into the game?”

Miles: “Yes, a huge one is weapon prestige, so we’ve brought back weapon prestige, and now is the perfect time, especially because we are adding so many ways in the game for you to feel rewarded, which also means you unlock a unique attachment for every single weapon after you prestige, and so there’s real reward in it, on top of the fact that you can earn your camos and unlock all your stuff again and have that challenge. One that really wasn’t asked for, but we kind of picked up on was build sharing. You can share your builds now for the first time, so you can actually get a unique code on your loadout, and you can share it with your friends. So I can be like, Hey, Gary, you’re not cutting the mustard, try my build, maybe it will help you right?, or in ranked, go do this, or we are watching a streamer, and we can copy their build, but we also have it on the kill cam. So, Gary, let’s say you kill me 4 times and I’m like, this mother, I can copy your build and see if it helps me, and so it’s a fun little feature that has real use in so many different ways.”

Gary: “The Black Ops series has had some of the most gripping narratives in the Call of Duty franchise. Can you give us a hint of what the story will entail this time around? Is there a connection to previous storylines, or is it a fresh start?”

Miles: “Yeah, it’s a bit of both, I think. If you’ve been a Black Ops fan, we are trying to pay off a lot of things, and one of them is we’re following up on Black Ops 2, super-fan favorite, right? Black Ops 2 had the branching storylines. We’ve never come out and said canonically which is the ending of Black Ops 2, Black Ops 7 is going to do that, and so that is going to be a huge thing for fans to see, which ending we’ve done, how we’ve crafted that based on the world coming out of Black Ops 2, which is really exciting. But I think for this story, when we talk about those fears and regrets, and David, like him, facing Raul Menendez again. What does that mean? Having to face that and then having to push through that, and when you talk about that character-driven, I think those are huge moments, and him relying on his team, we have some really strong character moments that I think are going to be really, really cool.”

Gary: “Throughout the development process, were there any particular moments or obstacles that nearly derailed the project? How did the team come together to overcome those struggles?”

Miles: “I don’t think there was anything big to derail it, but I think the normal process, as you’re playtesting and really playtesting, is the fuel, right? You do a thing and you play it and you’re like No, that wasn’t it, go change it, do it again. I think wall jump was one that took a while, like I was saying, but once we unlocked it, we knew what we were doing. I can’t really think of one that was super challenging; the team was firing on all cylinders about this, and I think that going to a new era really just energised them in new ways that I can’t think of one where I was like How are we going to do it. Probably back-end stuff in terms of global progression across the game, but those are tech problems that our smart team sorted out, but it was a new challenge for us because we’ve never done that, you know.”

Gary: “Cheating has been a persistent issue in competitive games, even more so of late. What steps has Treyarch taken to address cheating in Black Ops 7, and how are you ensuring a fair environment for all players, especially in multiplayer modes?”

Miles: ”Yeah, I mean it’s top of mind for us, and I think we’ve been trying to constantly push this across all the CODs and Black Ops 7 now has secure boot, TMP, right, like we are taking it very seriously, we are making sure that it is a fair and safe environment. The Ricochet team is coming up with new technology and constantly monitoring and so it’s like it is top of mind. And I hope players can see and feel that, especially when we launch Black Ops 7, that we are trying to take it even more seriously than we have before and make it fair for everyone.”

Gary: “Black Ops 2 is easily one of my most beloved in the franchise, especially being a huge fan of the Avenged Sevenfold cameo when I finished the campaign for the first time. Are players likely to see more cameos like this in Black Ops 7?”

Miles: “Oh, Interesting, I don’t think we have a cameo of that calibre, but I will say that we’ve got some fun stuff that happens during the credits. I’ll leave it at that.”

Thanks again, Miles, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to speak with me. I am filled with new hope that ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops 7’ is going to kick off with a bang. Who knows, maybe I’ll come across you amongst the chaos, and you might help me out with a killer loadout to share. As for our readers, “Ruck Up, We’re Heading to the warzone”, I will see you in Black Ops 7 when it launches this Friday.