A recent age rating from the ESRB for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 may suggest the controversial ‘Carry Forward’ feature will make a return, allowing players to transfer their cosmetic items from one Call of Duty game to another. With two Black Ops titles launching closely together, Activision’s decision to permit players to carry over their purchased items is not unexpected, but there is already protest from players of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 against this feature.

Earlier this year, Activision had announced that this Carry Forward ability would allow players to take cosmetic items like weapon blueprints and operator skins from Modern Warfare 2 into its sequel. However, this feature was not available during the launch of Black Ops 6, tying all purchased bundles to Modern Warfare 3. With Black Ops 7 approaching, fans are curious if Activision plans to reinstate this feature and continue allowing extravagant operator skins in Call of Duty.

Fans of the franchise are split over the proposed reinstatement of Carry Forward. Some argue that Black Ops 6’s operator skins have become excessively unrealistic to carry over into Black Ops 7, while others assert it is fair for players to retain access to items they have paid for. One Twitter user opined, “Carry forward should only be for Warzone,” while another countered, “If I paid for skins, content, heck yeah I want it to carry forward. I don’t understand what I’m missing here.”

Although it seems consumer-friendly to allow players to continue using their purchased items in various title releases, many are losing hope that Activision will steer the series back toward its original focus on realism. An insider recently mentioned that Activision is reassessing its approach to Call of Duty skins following feedback from players, who feel the game is veering toward absurdity due to collaborations with franchises like Squid Game and The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.