Miles Leslie, associate creative director for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, has commented on the upcoming simultaneous release of new Call of Duty and Battlefield titles in 2025—the first time this has happened since 2021. When asked how he views this competition, Leslie mentioned in an IGN interview that he recently tried the Battlefield 6 open beta, calling it “a fun game,” but emphasized that Activision remains focused on its own product.
“We are fans of all games and seek inspiration everywhere. But we are concentrated on our own craft. They are doing their thing,” he stated. “We know that if we achieve our goals, we will deliver what fans want, and that`s the key, because if we are satisfied during playtesting, then we know fans will be satisfied too.”
Leslie added: “We are fans of the first-person shooter genre. We are fans of many games. Let`s all have fun.”
The developer was also asked to address claims from some in the FPS community that Call of Duty doesn`t innovate enough with its annual releases. Leslie responded: “Just don`t worry about it.” He noted that developers aim to stick to their vision and create something engaging for players.
“There will always be those who try to bring you down and offer unconstructive criticism, though we seek constructive feedback. So, it`s just noise. You try to cut through that and stick to your vision and plan,” he explained.
Former Xbox executive Mike Ybarra recently stated that Battlefield 6 will “boot stomp” Black Ops 7. “The real win here is that CoD will no longer be lazy, and thanks to this, we`ll all get better FPS games,” he said.
However, experts do not expect Battlefield 6 to outsell Black Ops 7, partly because the large base of casual Call of Duty players will purchase the newest game every year, even if they complain about a lack of significant changes or innovation. Regarding Ybarra`s specific comments, one research firm advised him to “chill out” and think more critically.
Black Ops 7 is set to release on November 14, approximately one month after Battlefield 6, which is scheduled for October 10.