Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 will reportedly feature a 20v20 multiplayer mode called Skirmish, according to a new leak that came directly from Activision—albeit unintentionally.
The next entry in the Call of Duty franchise was officially teased during a “one more thing” moment at the end of June’s Xbox Games Showcase, with no firm release date, though it’s widely expected to launch around October 2025, in line with previous titles.
Xbox App Leak Hints at New Game Mode
On June 26, players spotted a strange update in the Xbox version of the Call of Duty HQ app. The app appeared to accidentally display loading screens from an internal Black Ops 7 playtest, revealing several key details—chief among them a new game mode called Skirmish.
According to the leak, Skirmish will be:
- A 20v20 multiplayer mode
- Set on large, open maps
- Focused on objective-based gameplay
Skirmish Mode: What We Know So Far
One of the leaked loading screens gives a clear breakdown of the new mode:
“Two teams of 20 fight to complete objectives across a large map. Capture points of interest, destroy payloads, and transmit valuable data to score. Use your wingsuit to flank and reach objectives before your enemy. The first team to reach the score limit wins.”
That description suggests a blend of large-scale, tactical gameplay that leans into mobility and teamwork, possibly drawing inspiration from modes like Ground War while adding new layers like wingsuit traversal.
Is the Skirmish Mode Final?
It’s worth noting that all this info comes from what’s labeled as a “closed internal playtest” (CIP), which may or may not have taken place yet. One of the loading screens points to a Friday–Sunday test window, possibly referencing the June 27–29 weekend.
As always, content seen in early test builds isn’t guaranteed to appear in the final version. Game modes often get scrapped, reworked, or renamed before launch. Even if Skirmish does make it to release, it could look quite different from what’s been leaked here.
Activision has not commented on the leak and hasn’t issued takedowns for the images circulating online, though it has a track record of doing so in similar cases.
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More Details Likely Coming in August
Based on past Call of Duty marketing timelines, Activision is expected to share more detailed information about Black Ops 7 by early August 2025. The company typically reveals gameplay and core features within eight weeks of a game’s official announcement.
There’s also growing speculation that Black Ops 7 will be the first Call of Duty title in over a decade to release on a Nintendo console, specifically the Switch 2. That rumor stems from Microsoft’s 2022 pledge to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo platforms for the next ten years—a plan that has yet to be realized. The last Call of Duty game to hit a Nintendo console was 2013’s Ghosts on the Wii U.
Whether Skirmish becomes a mainstay mode or just a test concept, the leak gives fans their first real taste of what multiplayer might look like in Black Ops 7. With large-scale maps, wingsuits, and classic objective-driven gameplay, this could be a significant shake-up for the series. All eyes are now on Activision for the next official update.
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