Black Ops 7 Physical Sales Down 61% as It Fails to Beat Battlefield 6 Launch

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is off to a rocky start in the UK, with physical sales down 61% compared to its predecessor Black Ops 6, while also posting a smaller retail launch than Battlefield 6 according to GfK data.

Industry analyst Christopher Dring revealed that Black Ops 7 had a smaller UK retail launch than Battlefield 6, marking a significant shift in the long-running rivalry between the two shooter franchises. This comes as EA claims Battlefield 6 is the best-selling shooter of 2025, with the game selling over seven million units in its first three days.

Multiple factors contributed to Black Ops 7's disappointing performance. Game Pass availability, strong competition from both Battlefield 6 and breakout hit Arc Raiders, and poor audience reception are cited as major reasons behind the weak figures. The game currently holds the lowest Metacritic user rating of any Call of Duty title in franchise history, with fans criticizing its campaign quality and use of AI tools.

While physical sales paint a concerning picture, experts still predict Black Ops 7 will eventually achieve commercial success. However, Battlefield 6's launch was described as "nothing less than a tsunami," gathering one of the largest concurrent player counts in Steam history with over 10 million copies sold.

The 61% drop is particularly striking given that Black Ops 6 launched just one year ago, meaning the shift toward digital sales cannot fully explain the decline.