Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is the legendary gaming franchise’s biggest game to date. Featuring a full campaign that is playable in co-op, a full multiplayer suite, and the return of Zombies, the game is filled with a ton of modes. ComingSoon spoke with Treyarch Associate Creative Director Miles Leslie to learn more about the most-anticipated video game of the year.
“In Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Treyarch and Raven Software are bringing players the most mind-bending Black Ops ever across an innovative Co-Op Campaign, an electrifying Multiplayer experience, and the legendary Round-Based Zombies mode,” says the official description.
ComingSoon: I love the additional focus Black Ops 7 has on co-op gameplay, especially in the campaign. This isn’t new for Treyarch, as Black Ops III had co-op for missions, but what made the team want to do a full co-op campaign again?
Miles Leslie: I love this question. From the start, our goal with Black Ops 7 was to create the most connected and social Black Ops experience ever. Part of that meant looking at every aspect of the game…every way you, your squad, and your friends could play together.
We saw a huge opportunity to bring back a fully designed Co-Op Campaign built from the ground up. We wanted players to experience the story, the big cinematic moments, and then flow into all the other ways to play. There are so many modes in Black Ops 7, and we wanted players to move freely between them. That’s where global progression comes in, it connects everything across the game.
Co-op also made perfect sense narratively. This is a story about David Mason and his squad, from returning characters like Mike Harper and Eric Samuels to a new character in Leilani “50/50” Tupuola. It’s a tight-knit team of four, and it just fit naturally to let players embody those characters with their friends. We’ve always had co-op storytelling in our DNA. You see that in Zombies and so this was a natural step for Black Ops 7.
That said, if you’re a solo player, don’t worry – Campaign can be enjoyed solo or with up to a squad of four. It’s still a fantastic single-player experience, with all the same story beats, twists, and turns. But for players who might not usually dive into Campaign mode, this gives you a reason to jump in with friends.
There are some great actors in the campaign, such as Kiernan Shipka and Milo Ventimiglia, among others. The legendary Michael Rooker is also back. It’s improved a lot recently, but gaming wasn’t always seen as an equal acting endeavor in terms of prestige. What does it mean for the team that well-known movie and TV stars are excited to collaborate and deliver strong performances for Treyarch’s campaign?
When we started developing the story and building out the spine of the narrative, we knew we wanted to return to David Mason. There was unfinished business after Black Ops 2 in what happened with Mason, Raul Menendez, and the world. We always wanted to revisit that, but to do it justice, we needed an actor who could bring real nuance – the leadership, the internal struggle, the weight of the scars Mason carries both inside and out.
Working with our casting team, we reached out to Milo, and thankfully, he was open and immediately engaged. He really understood the character and the complexity we were going for. Opposite him, we needed someone who could bring strength and youth to the role of Emma Kagan (the leader of The Guild,) and Kiernan Shipka was perfect. She represents this new philosophy in how to deal with Menendez, who’s back in the story, and she attacked the role head-on.
Seeing them together on set was incredible. The moment the cast — Milo Ventimiglia as David Mason, Michael Rooker as Harper, John Eric Bentley as Eric Samuels, Frankie Adams as 50/50 — all suited up on the mocap stage, it just clicked. Their personalities matched perfectly. Harper was joking around, but serious when it mattered. Samuels had that dry sarcasm. Frankie brought her own energy to 50/50. It instantly felt like a real squad.
And then Kiernan joined and added her own dynamic. It all came together naturally. The collaboration was fantastic, and they brought so much nuance and authenticity to the performances. Players are really going to feel that in the story.
There’s a unified progression system, which is going to really help Black Ops 7 feel like one experience rather than a game with separate ones. What were the challenges in implementing a system where playing Zombies or the campaign will help you progress in all modes?
This one’s really exciting for us. It’s one of those ideas that, once you finally pull it off, you look at it and go, “Well, yeah, of course.” It’s something we’ve wanted to do for a long time.
We’ve always wanted players to feel rewarded no matter how they play. If you look at past Call of Duty titles, we’ve been moving toward this step by step, and the last missing piece was the Campaign. So now, in Black Ops 7, Campaign players have full global progression along with in all other modes.
For the first time, there’s also a dedicated camo mastery track for Campaign. That means story players are getting more recognition and more rewards. And for anyone who’s ever thought, “I don’t want to play Campaign because I’ll fall behind in Multiplayer or Zombies,” that’s no longer the case. You can jump in, enjoy the story, and still earn great rewards that carry over globally.
The whole goal was to remove friction. We don’t ever want players to feel like they have to choose between playing with friends in one mode or chasing unlocks in another. Global progression solves that.
On top of that, each major mode – Zombies, Multiplayer, and Campaign — has its own mastery track. So there’s still a reason to challenge yourself in each one and show off your accomplishments. The camos and rewards look incredible, and we’re really excited for players to see how it all ties together across the game.
Black Ops 7 is launching with 18 multiplayer maps. That’s a big number. Throw in last year’s Black Ops 6 and all of its support, and Treyarch has made just a tremendous number of maps recently. How does the team continue to top itself in map design and come up with fresh ideas?
That’s something I’m really proud of. Fun fact: I’ve worked on every single Treyarch Call of Duty since World at War. Every single one. And I’ve worked on every multiplayer map we’ve made since then. At this point, it’s probably over a thousand maps.
People hear that and say, “Man, you must feel old.” And yeah, maybe a little! But the reason I keep doing it is that every game is a new challenge. We’re always going to a new era, with new characters, new stories, new locations. That keeps it fresh.
For Black Ops 7, we’re going everywhere — Japan, Alaska, into the mind — and the challenge is figuring out how to take those regions and turn them into great multiplayer maps that still fit our design philosophy while feeling connected to the overall world.
This time, it really feels like everything clicked. These maps have that classic Black Ops feel, like BO1 and BO2, with clear lanes, strong landmarks, and distinct visual identities. Every map feels unique but cohesive.
We wanted to go big this time. Eighteen maps at launch is a big number, and every one of them brings something new both visually and in gameplay. We’ve also got more maps coming with after launch, like Nuketown 2025 and much more.
We know how much players love maps, and they’re the heartbeat of Multiplayer. They set the rhythm and the tone. Our goal is always for players to find their favorites and argue passionately (but constructively!) online about which ones they love most.
We want players to fall in love with these maps…with how they look, how they play, how they connect to the story. I think Black Ops 7’s maps really deliver on that.
I’m super excited to see more of the game’s near-future version of Japan. There’s even a cat cafe in the Toshin map. How was it celebrating a culture as diverse as Japan?
This was a big one for us. We’ve always wanted to go deeper into Japan. We actually had a Japanese map way back in Black Ops 3 called Magma, but that was just dipping our toe in. With Black Ops 7, Japan made sense as a major region. It’s featured in both Campaign and Multiplayer and so we knew we had to do it right.
Authenticity and respect were really important. We wanted to represent Japan truthfully while still viewing it through the Black Ops lens. To make sure we got it right, we worked directly with our team in Japan – checking our ideas, ensuring nothing felt off, and being mindful of how we portrayed the culture.
We also used photogrammetry and on-site scanning to capture real-world reference material, so the visual detail would feel authentic. That process was incredibly inspiring. Every time we got new photos and data back from Japan, the team would get excited and want to make another map. We just kept adding because there was so much creativity and beauty to draw from.
With the Toshin map, we really wanted to capture those small, vibrant details that make Japan special, like the cat café, while keeping it grounded. When I went out to Tokyo Game Show and met with journalists and creators there, I told them, “I hope we did you right.” The response was overwhelmingly positive.
They appreciated that we weren’t leaning on tropes. We were creating something fun and familiar but still respectful. That was a huge win for us. I brought that feedback back to the team and said, “We did it right.” It feels culturally authentic and fits perfectly within the Black Ops world.
If someone hasn’t picked up a Call of Duty in a few years, why is Black Ops 7 the right choice to jump back in?
First off, where’ve you been? Come on, join the party! (laughs)
Seriously, though, I get it. Call of Duty can feel like a big, intimidating game if you’ve been away for a while. But Black Ops 7 has something for everyone, and that’s what makes it the perfect time to come back.
If you’ve been hesitant about Multiplayer but still want to play with friends, we’ve got you. You can jump into Co-Op Campaign, Zombies, or even Dead Ops Arcade 4, our top-down twin-stick shooter. There’s a ton of variety.
And if you’re into story, the Campaign is exciting, fresh, and completely standalone. You don’t need to do homework or have played all the past Black Ops games to enjoy it. But if you are a longtime fan, there are plenty of nods and Easter eggs waiting for you. It’s set in 2035, it looks amazing, and the gameplay is tight. It’s approachable, connected, and just plain fun. Honestly, now’s the time to jump in! The water is warm
Is there anything else that you want to say to close it out?
I just want to give a huge shout-out to all our teams and partners. This is a massive game, and everyone poured their heart and soul into it. I hope fans see that when they play…not just at launch, but in everything we continue to build afterward.
We’ve listened closely to feedback from the Beta and we’ll keep doing that. The players who give us constructive feedback have helped make the game better every single day.
So yeah…come on, let’s go! Black Ops 7 is going to be big and only getting better from here.
Thanks to Miles Leslie for taking the time to speak about Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.
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