Call Of Duty developers have made some major changes to Black Ops 7 ahead of its official launch next month following backlash from players.
The Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7 early access beta went live at the end of last week with fans divided over the latest instalment in the long-running shooter franchise.
Some praised the new maps and changes to the omnimovement system that was introduced with last year’s Black Ops 6. However others weren’t impressed with all manual doors being replaced by automatic ones, and the skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) set-up for multiplayer games has also been heavily criticised for creating “boring” matches.
Skill-based matchmaking ensures players are put in teams of a similar level and skillset. This often leads to longer waits to play and more predictable matches that some say lose the chaotic spirit of earlier Call Of Duty titles.
SBMM was properly introduced with 2019’s Modern Warfare and has been a feature of every Call Of Duty since. However, following backlash from Black Ops 7 players, Treyarch has temporarily removed the feature for the ‘Open Moshpit’ game mode.
Let’s switch things up. Later today, we’ll have two playlists in the #BlackOps7 Beta: Moshpit, and a new option – Open Moshpit.
Open Moshpit features classic matchmaking where skill is minimally considered, featuring TDM, Kill Confirmed, Domination, Hardpoint, and Overload.
— Treyarch (@Treyarch) October 4, 2025
“This is the first time I’ve actually liked a COD since Cold War,” wrote one fan following the update. “It’s so much better. Day and night,” added another.
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“We are excited to see the response to today’s Open Moshpit playlist change with classic matchmaking where skill is minimally considered. As a reminder, we’re always listening to our community. As many of you have noted, we continue to prioritise updates (and why we’re making them) based on player feedback,” they wrote following the update.
“Beta is all about trying things, gathering data and being a part of the community dialogue. We look forward to sharing more in-depth takeaways from the Beta on the road to launch, including more on matchmaking and how we keep players together.” However it’s not known if this feature will be included in the full release when Black Ops 7 launches November 14.
Treyarch has also changed how the new doors work. They’ll now remain open for longer and react sooner to a player approaching them, while others will stay permanently open. “We are closely following the community discussion about doors on our Beta maps and evaluating our launch and post-launch portfolio of maps,” they explained in a blog post.
Treyarch has already rolled back plans for players to be able to transfer their Black Ops 6 skins to the new game after a majority were heavily criticised for being unrealistic. Last week, the team behind the upcoming Battlefields 6 stoked their rivalry with Call Of Duty with a little help from Hollywood heavyweight Zac Efron, UFC fighter Paddy Pimblett, professional basketball player Jimmy Butler and country singer Morgan Wallen.
In other news, a Microsoft spokesperson has hit back at rumours the company will be scrapping future Xbox consoles in favour of digital-only releases.
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