After Axing Wacky Collabs, CoD Taps Nicolas Cage

Months ago, Activision made a big show of pulling back on goofy crossovers in Call of Duty. The Beavis and Butt-Head bundle was apparently the tipping point, and the developers publicly committed to collabs that "fit the game's universe." Infinity Ward went even further for Modern Warfare 4, promising "No Lady Gaga. No Omni-Man. No Teletubbies. No SpongeBob." So naturally, Black Ops 7's Season 4 Reloaded update, arriving June 25, adds Nicolas Cage as a playable Operator.

I love the irony here, but I also think there's a real distinction Activision is drawing, even if they won't say it plainly. Cage isn't SpongeBob. He's an Oscar-winning actor whose filmography is built on action movies like Con Air, The Rock, and Face/Off. If your stated goal is crossovers that feel like they belong in a military shooter, a guy who's played arms dealers and rogue cops is a much easier sell than cartoon characters. Whether that logic holds up long-term is another matter, but this one gets a pass from me.

The Cage Operator comes via a paid "Nick Cage Event Pass" bundled with the Season 4 Reloaded update. Buying the pass unlocks the standard skin, a black t-shirt and bulletproof vest look, while progressing through the premium reward track earns an "Unlimited" variant with long hair and a leather jacket. The free track includes the returning AN-94 assault rifle from Black Ops 2. Beyond Cage, the midseason update adds a new round-based Zombies map called Kowakujō set in a feudal Japanese castle, two multiplayer maps including the remastered Launch from the original Black Ops, and makes Black Ops Classic a permanent mode. Black Ops 7 has had a rough year between a weak campaign and questionable additions like the Dave Chappelle tracer pack, so Treyarch clearly needs wins wherever it can find them. Strapping Nic Cage into a bulletproof vest and letting him walk away from explosions in slow motion is, at minimum, a more entertaining pitch than most of what Season 4 has offered so far.