Most Black Ops 6 progress won’t carry over into Black Ops 7 – Here’s why

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7’s release date is around the corner, so news has been dropping left and right about the latest COD’s theme and focus. Black Ops 6 moved away from Call of Duty’s realistic warfare, offering crossovers with popular third-party franchises like American Dad and Squid Game.

While many Call of Duty players don’t mind collaborative events, the greater COD fan base often expresses its wish for a return to the franchise’s realistic roots. It looks like Black Ops 7 is set to be a much more gritty game, but at the cost of one very important feature: carry-forward compatibility with Black Ops 6.

An official post on August 26 confirmed that carry-forward for operators, character skins, and weapons will not be available between Black Ops 6 and Black Ops 7. However, the post also explained that XP Tokens and GobbleGums will be transferable between the two most recent Black Ops titles, indicating that there will be some overlap.

Black Ops 6 has released a variety of third-party characters as operator skins via crossover events, which we now know won’t be available for use in Black Ops 7. For those who will miss their cosmetics, there is a silver lining; all of your BO6 equipment will still be usable in Warzone, Call of Duty’s free-to-play battle royale.

This news may be frustrating for players who have invested large amounts of time or money into Black Ops 6, but at the very least, it means that BO6 and BO7 are two unique titles with their own themes and gameplay mechanics.

Though certain player stats might still carry over into Black Ops 7 due to its cross-progression features, weapons will not, so you won’t be able to equip the guns you earned from BO6. Black Ops 7 is set to feature an entirely new arsenal of weapons, many of which may have a futuristic slant.

On social media, players are split about the recent decision, but the lack of Black Ops 6 content in Black Ops 7 isn’t the most significant controversy this news has inspired. Activision had previously announced that the carry-forward feature would be available in 2025’s Call of Duty and that BO7’s cosmetics wouldn’t stray too far from the identity of Black Ops, so some players who pre-ordered are feeling let down.

Many COD fans and YouTubers, like Xclusive Ace, have used social media platforms to express their concerns.

Xclusive Ace pointed out that Activision had previously confirmed that BO7 will have cosmetics that fit the Black Ops identity, and while the removal of third-party skins might aid in this endeavour, skins that have already been shown in BO7’s promotional material are less grounded than fans might expect.

Many of the skins we’ve seen so far display hyper-futuristic designs, like robots, leading players to question why Activision decided to avoid carry-forward altogether.

In the aforementioned August 26 post, Activision explained why they’ve decided not to implement carry-forward into Black Ops 7, stating that they want the newest title to feel “authentic” for Call of Duty fans.

“We know there’s been a lot of conversation recently about the identity of Call of Duty. 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.”

Authenticity is a key factor of enjoyment for long-time Call of Duty fans, as its gameplay and visuals were very gritty in the first few entries. In contrast, Black Ops 6 went a route similar to Fortnite by prioritising fun cosmetics over creating a realistic battlefield.

“Black Ops 7 needs to feel authentic to Call of Duty and its setting. That is why Black Ops 6 Operator and Weapon content will not carry forward to Black Ops 7,” the post reads.

It’s clear from promotional art that Black Ops 7 will include at least a few characters or outfits with unrealistic-looking appearances, but compared to crossovers with Beavis and Butt-Head, the skins so far aren’t that far off from other futuristic COD games like Advanced Warfare or Black Ops 3.

Call of Duty has lost its original spirit in recent years, likely in an attempt to appeal to the fans of newer games like Fortnite. Black Ops 7 is planned to be a return to form for COD, with a new arsenal of weapons and more grounded cosmetics. How does this compare to another military shooter, like Battlefield 6?

Every Call of Duty is different, so as we exit the year that Black Ops 2 was set in, now is the perfect opportunity to reinvent the franchise under its original framework. Though some COD players will surely be upset by the lack of the carry-forward feature, it’s a necessary step to prevent clashing themes in 2025’s Call of Duty entry.