The carry-forward program for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is pulling the plug. Skins and weapons from previous installments will remain where they belong.
That was quick. Just recently, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 announced the big carry-forward program, which was supposed to give players access to content from previous titles in the new shooter—including controversial operator skins.
However, the outcry from the community was apparently so great that the emergency brake was quickly applied. Black Ops 7 is set to be a fresh start.
“We hear you”
In a community post, the CoD team announced that skins, operators, and weapons in Black Ops 7 will not be carried over from previous installments. However, you can still take Double XP Tokens and GobbleGums with you.
The CoD team also addresses how this decision came about:
We know there has been a lot of discussion lately about the identity of Call of Duty. Some of you have said that we have strayed from what originally made Call of Duty unique: immersive, intense, emotional, and in many ways down-to-earth. This feedback hits close to home and we take it seriously. We hear you.
Bundles and items will also be better aligned with the identity of Black Ops in the future, and developer Treyarch plans to comment further on the new shooter in the coming weeks.
This is a direct response to the outcry from the community, which feels less and less connected to the shooter, partly due to bizarre crossover skins. But even after this step, fans remain skeptical.
This is not the first time that CoD has published such a statement. Already at the release of Black Ops 6 Activision promised that the characteristic Black Ops style would be retained. Here, too, it was not possible to transfer skins from Modern Warfare 2 and 3 – with the aim of creating a universe that focuses entirely on “time-specific weapons and equipment.”
However, this line did not last too long. With each subsequent season, more colorful and crazy skins were added to the game, including, for example, the Ninja Turtles. Since this was only a few months ago, the community doesn’t have to try too hard to remember:
Coming off of the big news that Carry Forward is canceled for BO7, I think it’s important to remember the statement they made leading up to the BO6 launch & to hold them accountable if/when they stray away from BO7 bundles being “crafted to fit the Black Ops identity” pic.twitter.com/d27YhVJCy0
— Xclusive Ace (@TheXclusiveAce) August 26, 2025
It remains to be seen whether the emergency brake for the transfer of old skins will ultimately save Black Ops 7. Although players won’t have to compete against Beavis and Butthead and American Dad for now, this doesn’t protect us from new licensing deals.
What do you think of the developers’ statement? Is it a step in the right direction, or is it too little, too late? Feel free to let us know in the comments!