One of the biggest surprises to emerge out of Call of Duty: Next is news that a "bold new experience" is coming to Warzone next year, one directly inspired by Blackout.
For those of you who need a refresher: Blackout was the precursor to Call of Duty: Warzone, arriving as part of the Black Ops 4 package in 2018. The mode launched shortly after PUBG and Fortnite kickstarted the battle royale craze in 2017, differentiating itself with some neat ideas – Treyarch populated areas of the map with zombies and unlocked advanced traversal systems, such as a grappling hook, for players to utilize in their pursuit of becoming the last operator standing.
Little is known about how Blackout will ultimately be incorporated into the current battle royale offering. "Call of Duty: Warzone is bringing a bold new experience in Spring of 2026 inspired by the original Blackout, set on Avalon," reads the only official communication.
Approaching the drop zone... Call of Duty: Warzone is bringing a bold new experience in Spring of 2026 inspired by the original Blackout, set on Avalon. #BlackOps7 | #CODNext pic.twitter.com/TenwQesj5WSeptember 30, 2025
I sat down with Miles Leslie in the aftermath of COD: Next to try and squeeze some additional information out of him. Leslie is a 20-year veteran of Treyarch, having contributed to every one of its Black Ops games – and played a principal role in bringing Blackout to life. "I'm really excited about that mode coming out, but obviously we can't talk about it yet," he says, laughing.
Leslie, who is the associate creative director of Black Ops 7, was quick to note how closely Treyarch is collaborating with the teams at Raven, High Moon, and Beenox (who largely oversee production of Warzone content). "We work really closely with the Warzone teams. They're fully integrated. We're working really closely with that team."
"So it's really not like we're seeing it from afar," he continues. "It's more of us working hand-in-hand, crafting something that feels like Black Ops is coming to Warzone. I think that's the really exciting thing for us; we like to say 'Black Ops takeover inspiration into Warzone', and I think players that are playing Black Ops 7 and Warzone will see this really tight integration of content and mechanics that just spreads the fun. And that mode is going to be fun."
At this point in our conversation, we have to shift gears to talking more directly about the Black Ops 7 multiplayer experience and the incoming beta (more on that on GamesRadar+ this week, as our Black Ops 7 Big Preview continues). But I do want to offer a point of clarification: When Leslie refers to a "really tight integration of content and mechanics" between BO7 and Warzone, he may be speaking more broadly than just Blackout.
Some key incoming changes to Warzone as part of the Black Ops 7 alignment include a limit of five attachments to weapons, as well as the removal of Wildcards. Tactical Sprint has also been disabled as standard (reflecting a change in Black Ops 7 multiplayer), now requiring the 'Sprinter' Perk to activate. There's also a wider focus on ground loot, with Warzone pushing to make the quality of pickups more consistent and viable. That last change is particularly interesting, given that a big difference between Blackout and Warzone is a much greater focus on ground loot, with Blackout avoiding loadout systems and the like.
For more exclusive coverage on the latest Call of Duty, be sure to read my Black Ops 7 hands-on preview to learn more about this year's multiplayer offering.
While we await more news on the Blackout-inspired mode coming to Warzone next spring, I'd also like to share a comment from Lawrence Metten, associate director of design at Treyarch. Metten wasn't with the studio when Blackout launched, although he's clearly excited to be a part of it now after years spent playing the battle royale in his spare time. It makes me wonder how this mixture of direct experience and fresh perspectives across the Call of Duty studios group will ultimately bring about the return of this mode for a new generation of play.
"I didn't work on Blackout, but I was a fan – I played a lot of it. Ever since I joined the team… you can tell that there's a lot of love within Treyarch for Blackout and what was in Blackout," says Metten. "We're excited to show more when the time is right with that new mode."
Here's how you can access the Black Ops 7 beta on October 2, and a full list of all the Black Ops 7 rewards you can earn from playing.
