Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Sells Big, But Launch Numbers Plunge Compared to Battlefield and Series Highs

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 may be sitting at the top of Europe’s game charts this week, but behind that shiny number one spot are some painful numbers Activision and Microsoft can’t spin into good news. Launch sales have plummeted, with Black Ops 7 moving 63% fewer copies than Battlefield 6 did during its debut week. That’s not just a dip; that’s a collapse, especially for a franchise that has ruled the charts for decades.

The bad news doesn’t stop there. Compared to its own predecessor, Black Ops 6, sales for Black Ops 7 are down by more than 50%. The data comes from The Game Business and GSD, leaving no room for wishful thinking: this is the weakest Call of Duty launch Europe has seen in recent memory.

Game Pass Inclusion Skews the Picture, But Can’t Hide the Backlash

There’s a caveat: Black Ops 7 is available at no extra cost to Xbox and PC Game Pass Ultimate subscribers. That’s a first for a major Call of Duty release, and it’s definitely soaking up a massive chunk of potential day-one sales. But even with that lifeline, the numbers are ugly.

The launch has been met with open hostility from players. Black Ops 7 is now saddled with an ‘Overwhelming Dislike’ verdict on Metacritic, making it the lowest-rated Call of Duty by user score in the series’ history. Microsoft and Activision have to be sweating over the prospect of these numbers shaping long-term momentum. When longtime fans are this unhappy, it’s never just a one-week blip.

Still Europe’s Biggest Game This Week — For Now

Here’s the twist: Black Ops 7 is still Europe’s best-selling game of the week, both by units and by revenue. Call it the power of a monster franchise or habit, but nobody else came close in purely weekly terms. That said, the context is unavoidable. This is a top spot achieved in spite of record-low enthusiasm and dismal comparative numbers.

It’s not hard to see why there’s trouble. Even Activision’s own launch hype felt muted this year, much quieter than for prior entries. When the publisher holds back its usual triumphant messaging, it’s usually a sign the internal numbers folks don’t love what they’re seeing.

Black Ops 7 is trying to shake up the Call of Duty formula. That alone is always risky. According to Eurogamer’s review, which gave it a respectable but unflattering 3 out of 5 stars: “If you can accept Black Ops 7’s fundamental changes to the formula on their own terms, you’ll have a good trip, despite the psychochemicals coursing through your veins. I’m just not convinced those changes bode well for the health of the series.”

So, even those who appreciate the experimentation are worried this pivot could hurt the broader franchise over time. You can’t accuse Black Ops 7 of lazily repeating the formula, but fans aren’t celebrating the new direction, either.

Patch Notes: Fixes for Those Grinding Camos and Cosmetic Glitches

Activision is at least moving fast on fixes. The latest Black Ops 7 patch focused on squashing several persistent bugs, especially those hampering the famously dedicated “camo grinders.”

Zombies mode’s weapon camo challenges, for instance, were adjusted after complaints that unlocking them was about three times harder than intended. The update should make things less punishing for players who live for flex-worthy cosmetics, a small but visible win in a launch week otherwise defined by frustration.

Whether those quick Band-Aids can stem the dissatisfaction or reverse the massive sales drop is another question. For now, Black Ops 7’s sales crown feels a little shaky, propped up by habit and a Game Pass loophole more than honest launch excitement.