<p>Call of Duty’s worst launch in a decade collides with the rise of extraction shooters, and the balance of power inside the genre shifts. We dig into why Black Ops 7 cratered, how Battlefield 6 stole the spotlight, and why Arc Raiders is suddenly the most important new IP in shooters. <a href="https://graygoatgaming.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Chris Sides</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/feras-musmar/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Feras</a> return to map the fault lines, spar over SPMM, and weigh whether Tarkov’s disastrous Steam debut marks the ceiling for the genre’s original heavyweight.</p><p><br /></p><p>We discuss:</p><ul><li><p>Black Ops 7’s collapse and why marketing, futurism, and CPI pressure all converged</p></li><li><p>Battlefield 6’s surge, the RedSec flop, and why innovation is still missing in BR design</p></li><li><p>The extraction boom: Arc Raiders as the “PUBG moment” and its long-term retention risks</p><ul><li><p>PvE as the emerging driver of mainstream extraction demand</p></li></ul></li><li><p>Skill-based matchmaking as an economic problem, not a matchmaking one</p></li><li><p>Tarkov’s failed 1.0 launch and what its country-mix reveals about stagnant reach</p></li><li><p>Whether Embark should kill The Finals and move every resource into Arc Raiders</p></li></ul>