Design director at Treyarch for the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 – Matt Scronce – has taken to social media to discuss the time-to-kill (TTK) for the upcoming shooter, and how the developers aim to fine tune it to ensure that it strikes a good balance. In a post on social media platform X, Scronce has stated that the current build of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is sitting at a TTK similar to that of Black Ops 6.
As the game gets closer to release, Scronce has also noted that the developers are aiming for a TTK that makes sure that players don’t die either too fast or too slow, while also making sure that there is enough room in the gameplay department for a variety of weapons to be effective.
“Currently sitting around Black Ops 6 [time to kill],” wrote Sconce. “We like where that has settled as not too fast and not too slow, giving enough time to react and room for weapons to have diversity without targets feeling overly spongy.”
The Call of Duty is known for its fast-paced multiplayer, and over the years, various developers have tried experimenting with the TTK metric to find the perfect balance between damage and player life. While the series has traditionally focused on quick run-and-gun gameplay, titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, for instance, tried their hand at slowing the pace of gameplay down a bit.
Interestingly, associate creative director Miles Leslie had previously confirmed that the development of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 started at around the same time as Black Ops 6. In an interview, Leslie spoke about the challenges associated with developing both titles at the same time, especially since both titles take place at vastly different time periods.
“They were started at the same time,” said Leslie back in August. “So obviously, they have different production ramp-up times, but they were started in parallel and greenlit at the same time. That was a really unique challenge, but also fun to be able to know that you’re going to do that. Black Ops 6 is going to be 1991 rogue team, and now how do you flip the script on Black Ops 7 in 2035?”
Developers Raven Software and Treyarch had also announced back in August that they would be toning down some of the cosmetics available for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. To achieve this, they confirmed that players will not be able to carry over their skins and Operators from Black Ops 6 into 7. In a statement, the companies acknowledged that there had been questions about the identity of Call of Duty as a franchise, and some of the skins from Black Ops 6 could be immersion breaking.
“We know there’s been a lot of conversation recently about the identity of Call of Duty,” acknowledged Raven Software and Treyarch. “Some of you have said we’ve drifted from what made Call of Duty unique in the first place: immersive, intense, visceral and in many ways grounded. That feedback hits home, and we take it seriously. We hear you.”
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is being developed for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, and is slated for release on November 14.
