Treyarch senior director of production Yale Miller has revealed that the company rejected collaborations with unspecified “big brands” for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 skins.
Miller told Dexerto that Treyarch wants to have collab skins in Black Ops 7 that “make sense” for the game. This mandate led the company to apparently say no to possible deals.
“There are opportunities that we have had lined up that, after some of our conversations, we straight up turned down. Big, big brands, big things, and we’re like, ‘No, we’re not gonna do that because it just doesn’t fit,'” Miller said.
Some part of the Call of Duty fanbase has spoken out against the franchise’s series of wacky and over-the-top skins, while others have embraced and enjoyed them. Miller said the recent Nuketown Block Party skins that let you play as a mannequin from the map are examples of skins that aren’t “grounded” per se but something that “feels right for the game.”
“All intentions [are] to stick to stuff that we can hand on our heart, say, ‘Yeah, that feels Black Ops,'” Miller said. “That’s really our goal. And I think that’s a good clarification versus ‘grounded.'”
Most Black Ops 6 skins will not carry forward to Black Ops 7, but it remains to be seen what kinds of skins–licensed or original–show up in Black Ops 7. In August, Activision acknowledged that some fans believe the franchise has “drifted” from its identity as a military shooter with its wacky skins.
Activision made this key announcement against the backdrop of EA’s stance on Battlefield 6 skins. Developers stressed that the game’s cosmetics would feel “grounded.” An EA developer even name-checked Nicki Minaj, which was no doubt a reference to Call of Duty’s DLC that allows people to play as her.
Design director Shashank Uchil told DBLTAP that, “It has to be grounded. That is what BF3 and BF4 was–it was all soldiers, on the ground. It’s going to be like this.” Uchil went on to say, “I don’t think it needs Nicki Minaj.” Instead, Uchil said the aim for Battlefield 6’s skins is: “Let’s keep it real, keep it grounded.”
Call of Duty games over the years have featured all manner of outlandish skins, including stoner sloths and licensed skins from franchises like The Boys, TMNT, King of the Hill, Beavis and Butt-Head, and I Know What You Did Last Summer. Many people enjoyed and embraced these skins, some of which included their own special modes, while others said they are a blight on the overall Call of Duty experience.
One thing is for sure, and that is that Call of Duty’s in-game shop no doubt brings in a lot of money for Activision and the company will undoubtedly continue to sell skins and other DLC for Black Ops 7.
Black Ops 7 launches on November 14, but you can play the game’s multiplayer beta in October. Just recently, Activision announced that the beta will include Zombies.
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