Table of Contents
Highlights
- The Haunting returns October 9 with Predator as a playable operator in Black Ops 6 and Warzone.
- Verdansk goes dark, MP40 returns, and horror-themed skins flood COD’s Halloween event.
- Battlefield’s realism clashes with COD’s spectacle—this Halloween may shape FPS trends to come.
Call of Duty’s annual Halloween event is here! The Haunting returns and brings with it the iconic horror movie characters alongside The Predator. Launch is dated October 9, 2025, to take over Black Ops 6 and Warzone, giving a return for the grizzled hunter from outer space.
A Legendary Return: The Predator Joins the Fight
For the chined-in fans, it’s a nostalgic moment. The Predator had his first appearance in the COD universe in 2014 with Call of Duty: Ghosts in Devastation DLC. Now 11 years later, this time it’s as a playable operator skin for Black Ops 6 and Warzone-what an incredible setup for activation with the release of Predator: Badlands from 20th Century Studios on November 7!
The new Predator skin reflects the originals seen in the films, not the protagonist of Badlands, and it is already generating interest for its gritty, mil-sim aesthetic. Players will stalk their prey in genuine Yautja style, with aesthetic visuals, thematic equipment, and more. The catch? A decision that the community widely disapproves of: the Predator skins and other cosmetics from Black Ops 6 won’t transfer into Black Ops 7.
What to Expect from The Haunting Event
The Haunting is more than just cosmetics. It is a full seasonal event where the atmosphere switches to a horror-themed battleground. Judging from the early teasers, players can expect:
- Verdansk by night: A darker, more foreboding version of the iconic map, perfect in pitch for jump scares and ambushes.
- Scary Skins and Bundles: Beyond The Predator, it is expected that numerous horror-themed operator skins will drop too, possibly including zombies, ghouls, and demons of some sort.
- Return of the MP40: The fans’ favourite submachine gun returns, but probably with Halloween-themed variants.
- Limited-Time Modes: Eerie twists on old gameplay, including zones overrun by zombies, survival challenges, and maybe even PvE horror missions.
Community Reactions: Excitement and Controversy
A lot of players are excited about the return of The Predator, praising the skin’s design and thematic freshness. One Redditor said, “Predator, Rambo, Die Hard, Spawn, all of those were amazing collabs that didn’t destroy the game’s identity”.
Others, meanwhile, were disheartened. The blanket of non-carry-forward functionality in Black Ops 7 proved a serious sore spot among the majority. This meant skins bought and unlocked in Black Ops 6-including weapons, would not carry over into the next edition. Have fun losing your hard-earned cosmetics unless you choose to keep playing Warzone. According to Activision Treyarch, this is being done to preserve the “authenticity” of Black Ops 7’s setting; however, for those who invested a bomb in seasonal content, this is a hard pill to swallow.
Timing and Transitions: A Seamless Shift from Beta to Horror
Interestingly, The Haunting enters on the very day the Black Ops 7 beta will end, October 9. It will allow a smooth transition for players to pop from testing the next instalment into the Halloween festivities, nice scheduling, keeping engagement high, and with a reason for fans to await as the beta winds down.
With Battlefield 6 dropping on October 10, this week is indeed a packed one for any FPS lover. With Predator stalking in COD, though, Activision wants to take over this Halloween by storm.
Final Thoughts: A Haunting Worth Hunting
Putting into consideration the fact that the return of the Predator into Call of Duty does indeed bring excitement, he is like a familiar uncle coming to a party-training tends to bear with him the question: is the old joke still being recycled? Nostalgia is a way to get away with repetition.
The Haunting event of this year shall act as a measure to find out whether these crossovers still hold relevance or if their novelty has dried away with time. Especially conspicuous is this contrast when placed against the ongoing evolution of Battlefield with its narrative of realism, grounded warfare, and sheer resistance to spectacle. Battlefield seems to be going all the way down the line of pure working-class authenticity; COD chooses to entertain.
How this will unfold will be so telling-assuming one performs better than the other, a larger shift might be identified in the preferences of players and the trends in the industry. Are the gamers presently looking for a grounded and immersive combat experience, or are they still being teased by the great high-fantasy mashup and seasonal spectacle? The survival and success of either would then dictate the future of FPS and maybe even the culture of gaming at large.
