Black Ops 7 is getting wrecked by players (1.9/10) — and it’s not just the AI art

Gamers Are Hammering Black Ops 7-Here’s the Real Story

Black Ops 7 isn’t just having a rough week-it’s facing a full-on player revolt. A 1.9/10 user score on Metacritic (off roughly 800 ratings) and a Steam peak barely nudging past 100,000 two days after launch is almost unheard of for Call of Duty. This caught my attention because CoD, even on an off year, usually surges on momentum alone. If you’re wondering whether this is just another loud review-bombing wave, the complaints are more specific-and frankly, avoidable—than that.

Key Takeaways

• Players are furious about AI-generated “calling cards,” including ones mimicking a Ghibli-like style—Activision acknowledged the AI usage to media.
• Campaign design choices are clashing with how people actually play: always-online even solo, and no mid-mission checkpoint persistence if you close the game.
• Despite the backlash, critics remain largely positive (around 83 on Metacritic), calling the package solid—creating a sharp press vs. player split.
• Some fans say it feels like a “big DLC” follow-up, a complaint that echoes the chatter around last year’s CoD cadence.

Breaking Down the Backlash

The AI art issue isn’t cosmetic drama—it’s a trust problem. Call of Duty has spent years selling the vibe of elite craftsmanship, from its key art to the tiny details that make your calling card feel “yours.” Finding out that some of these profile visuals were generated by AI, including art that leans into a Ghibli-inspired look, hits fans right where identity meets monetization. It signals cost-cutting where there should be craft, and it’s a bad look in a franchise that regularly asks players to buy into battle passes, cosmetics, and premium bundles.

Then there’s the campaign friction. Reports from players call out two big stumbling blocks: the game requires a constant internet connection even if you’re playing solo, and if you quit mid-mission, you’re starting that mission from scratch next time. That may make sense for a co-op-first design on paper, but it ignores how a lot of us actually play CoD campaigns—short sessions squeezed between work, school, or matches with friends. Always-online also means your offline nights or shaky connections equal “no campaign for you,” which is the kind of restriction that rubs people the wrong way in 2025.

I keep coming back to a player sentiment I’ve seen paraphrased a lot, originally in French: “Every year I buy Call of Duty hoping to enjoy it and give an honest opinion based on my experience. This is the first time I have nothing positive to say.” That’s harsh—but it reflects how these design decisions feel in practice, not just on a feature list.

Why This Matters Now

Timing hurts. Black Ops 7 lands in a moment when shooters are actually giving players options again. Battlefield 6 has buzz and momentum, and even ARC Raiders—a smaller name—has earned goodwill. CoD is no longer the only stop on the shooter tour, and that changes the calculus. When players have alternatives, they’re less willing to swallow friction for the sake of the brand. Layer on the broader industry distrust around generative AI in art pipelines, and you’ve got a perfect storm: cultural backlash plus practical pain points.

The user score is more than a number. For context, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023)—often cited as a recent low point—still managed a 2.3/10 from users on Metacritic. Black Ops 7 undercutting that is a signal. It says players aren’t just annoyed; they feel taken for granted. And whether you personally like the gunplay or not, a community that feels ignored has a way of sending messages that even the biggest publishers can’t shrug off.

The Press vs. Player Split

Critics are broadly positive, hovering around an 83 on Metacritic, with takes framing Black Ops 7 as “solid” and “generous,” even if it doesn’t “excel.” I get it—moment-to-moment shooting in CoD is usually great, and the content checklist can look impressive. But players live with the design every day. Always-online and no checkpoint persistence aren’t theoretical annoyances; they shape whether you can realistically enjoy a campaign in short bursts, or at all if your connection dips. It also doesn’t help that some fans feel this entry is essentially a beefy add-on to last year’s output. After MW3 (2023) drew “glorified DLC” accusations, that perception stings twice as hard.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a gap between critics and players, and it won’t be the last. Review windows reward technical polish and breadth; players judge long-term friction, value, and respect for their time. Black Ops 7 is colliding with that second metric head-on.

What Gamers Need to Know

If you’re a campaign-first CoD player who loves quick sessions, I’d wait. A patch that adds mid-mission saving or relaxes the connection requirement would change the calculus a lot. If you’ve got rock-solid internet and plan to play mostly co-op or multiplayer, you’ll feel the pain less—but the AI art controversy will still hang over the cosmetics side until Activision clearly addresses policy and sourcing.

As for the Steam peak barely clearing 100,000 two days post-launch: that’s not the death knell for a cross-platform giant, but it’s a mood check. CoD usually dominates mindshare at release. The fact that players are choosing other shooters—or choosing to sit out—says the brand can’t rely on inertia anymore. That’s good for us as players. Competition forces change.

The fixes aren’t rocket science: respect offline and solo players with more flexible save options, be transparent about AI use (or ditch it for paid cosmetics entirely), and make sure yearly cadence doesn’t feel like annualized deja vu. Do that, and a lot of the anger cools fast, because the core shooting still hits.

TL;DR

Black Ops 7’s 1.9/10 user score and modest Steam peak aren’t just noise. Players are pushing back on AI-generated cosmetics and campaign friction (always-online, no mid-mission saves). Critics like the core package, but until those pain points are fixed, the skepticism is earned. If you’re on the fence, give it a patch cycle.