Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Faces Backlash Over AI Art

Digital Phablet – Activision’s latest release, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, has faced a tumultuous beginning, plagued by various issues including a peculiar campaign and a lack of innovative gameplay features to justify a sequel just a year after the previous installment.

Recently, criticism has intensified over the game’s use of AI-generated artwork in its assets, such as calling cards, posters, and reward icons. A user on Reddit expressed frustration in a discussion thread, remarking, “Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is cluttered with AI-generated art, because your $70 doesn’t mean as much anymore.” 

Many fans have also encouraged others to avoid purchasing the game to protest the use of AI-created content in future releases.

Another Reddit comment stated,  “High Fantasy Studio Ghibli is exactly what I picture when I think of Call of Duty. It pairs perfectly with the Nicki Minaj and Seth Rogen skins. Honestly, these developers have completely lost the plot.”

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Criticized for Incorporating AI Art

The AI-created artwork appears to utilize Hayao Miyazaki’s renowned Studio Ghibli aesthetic as its inspiration, which went viral several months ago when social media users began generating AI content based on it via ChatGPT. Many critics labeled this trend as “disrespectful” and “unacceptable” to Miyazaki’s artistic legacy.

Despite the backlash from months prior, Activision and Treyarch’s new game continues to include AI-generated art in its assets, sparking widespread outrage from gamers and artists alike.

Sources reveal that much of the anger stems from concerns over AI replacing skilled human artists, including illustrators, concept designers, and animators.

Even the Prestige icons in Black Ops 7 are reportedly AI-created. However, they have been subtly edited to suggest otherwise, according to reports from FRVR.

^{Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 (Activision/ Treyarch)}

The game’s campaign, often highly praised by fans, also received criticism for several reasons, including bizarre choices like being exclusively online with no option to pause. Multiple users reported being kicked from the campaign if they remained idle for too long.