Why Call of Duty Hasn’t Brought Back the Pick 10 System

One of the developers of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has explained why the franchise hasn’t brought back the beloved Pick 10 system in nearly a decade. If you’re not familiar, Pick 10 was a system introduced in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 where you could only have 10 items in your loadout. This allowed you more customization of your loadout, allowing you to sacrifice things like lethal throwables in favor of more attachments, a wildcard which could give you things like a secondary primary, and more. You had to be much more cognizant of how you built out your loadout, but it was something players responded strongly to.

The feature returned in 2014’s Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare as Pick 13, but was still well liked. Subsequent Black Ops games also featured Pick 10, but after Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 in 2018, the system vanished from the entire franchise. Fans have demanded its return for years, but this request was denied and ignored by developers. However, we never really found out why. Some speculated it was because of Call of Duty: Warzone and that a system like that wouldn’t fit in a battle royale. Others thought it could be because of weapon blueprints, which players can pay real money for. However, the answer is actually none of the above, according to Treyarch.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Developer Explains Why They Left Pick 10 Behind

During my preview of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, I got to participate in a roundtable interview with some of the developers of the game. Treyarch design director Matt Scronce was asked about how the team decides what to bring back from old games, especially since Black Ops 7 is a bit of a spiritual successor/sequel to Black Ops 2, and the topic of Pick 10 was brought up. Scronce talked a bit about how the system requires too much thinking for the average player and he doesn’t believe it’s “better” than the current loadout creation mechanics.

“Pick 10 is a debate we have every single game and some people on my team just like want us to do it so bad,” said Scronce. “We talk about it all. We haven’t went back to it yet because I’m not convinced it’s better. I think there’s an argument to be made that there’s trade-offs, but at the same time, now I have to put a little bit more thought into my loadout creation. I have to do a little bit of math and if I’m thinking about all of the players who play our game and how it is right now, where I just go in and I just click, click, click, and I fill up slots, right? It’s a very easy thing to do. Now that’s not to say we’ll never revisit that concept of a Pick 10, but I think where we’re at right now, we’re doing exactly what makes perfect sense for Black Ops 7.”

It sounds like Pick 10 system probably won’t make a return under a Treyarch title for a while. There were rumors that Sledgehammer Games’ Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 once had a Pick 10 system during development, but it was cut from the final game. Perhaps a different studio could utilize it, but it remains to be seen. Either way, it’s good to finally get a clear answer as to why it isn’t in Black Ops 7, though I imagine it won’t satisfy everyone. Given Black Ops 7 is evoking so many elements of Black Ops 2 through its story, weapons, and even maps, it may puzzle some people that Treyarch isn’t bringing back one of the game’s most defining features.

Players will be able to get their hands on the loadout mechanics for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 when the beta releases in October. The full game will release on November 14th. Do you want to see the Pick 10 system return in Call of Duty? Let me know in the comments.

Call of Duty is Shooting Themselves in the Foot With Black Ops 7