Treyarch design director Matt Scronce has revealed new insights into how aim assist will be adjusted in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. Speaking in a developer update published on October 21, Scronce explained that the studio plans to fine-tune the feature used by controller players, following a detailed analysis of data collected during recent playtests.
Balancing Controllers and Keyboard Players
Crossplay shooters often spark ongoing debate between controller users and keyboard-and-mouse players, and Call of Duty is no exception. Controllers benefit from aim assist—a mechanic that slightly helps the reticle track enemies—while mouse users enjoy higher precision and faster reaction time.
Scronce noted that Treyarch has been closely monitoring gameplay data, likely referring to the results from the game’s open beta earlier this month.
“The data shows that controller players tend to win more in close-range fights, while keyboard-and-mouse players perform better at long range,” Scronce said.
Based on these findings, Treyarch will review how aim assist behaves across different combat ranges, aiming to achieve a better balance between the two input methods.
Rotational Aim Assist Under Review
Scronce added that the development team is also evaluating rotational aim assist—the feature that helps controller players track moving targets when turning the right analogue stick. Treyarch is considering adjustments to how much stick movement is required for aim assist to activate, as well as how strongly it influences target tracking.
Warzone Will Receive Similar Updates
The planned aim assist changes won’t stop with Black Ops 7. Raven Software, the studio behind Call of Duty: Warzone, confirmed it will also experiment with aim assist tuning in the battle royale’s Season 01 update. These updates will focus on refining rotational aim assist and adjusting its strength during combat.
Both Treyarch and Raven Software have promised to share more details in the coming weeks, ahead of the game’s launch.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is set to release on November 14, 2025, for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. The game will also be available day one on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, a subscription service that recently saw a notable price increase.
