This fake Black Ops 7 ad is so realistic it’s scarier than my K/D ratio—and funnier too

The marketing blitz for the new Call of Duty has begun, and it involves podcasters who may be oblivious to what’s happening—or in on the joke entirely. It’s difficult to tell.

For those unaware, an ARG website recently popped up for a fictional company named The Guild, which is the entirely fictional and villainous organization from the upcoming Black Ops 7. But using its marketing budget, Activision has begun deploying ads for the company as if it were real, creating for some creepy commercials mid-show.

An example popped up recently in Caleb Hammer’s financial advice show on YouTube. The ad read in question starts at 43:20 of one of his recent episodes, and it sounds like it’s an actual, legitimate ad for a big tech company. Hammer reads the script given to him, as podcasters are wont to do, and it’s tough to tell it’s fake until the very end.

“When we talk about personal finance, it’s about risk management,” Hammer says. “Things like building an emergency fund and investing instead of blowing those dollars on taquitos. But when it comes to the real world, what if protection could be something you subscribe to?”

It starts off innocuously enough, but it quickly gets eerie and a bit odd for those who are keenly paying attention (which is funny, because I and basically everyone in the world scrubs past these ads in podcasts).

“I’m not talking about another streaming platform or gym membership that takes an arm and a leg to cancel, I mean security for your well-being and family that no one else is offering,” he says. “That is the idea behind The Guild. With years in the defense sector, they’re equipped to build the AI systems and robotics that keep all that we know safe, especially in unpredictable times like now. So if you could safeguard the life you’ve worked so hard for, why would you not?”

At this point, the red flag begins to wave. AI systems and robotics to keep YOU physically safe? So, robot bodyguards? And then he brings it home with some true creepiness.

“You don’t need another subscription, you need boots on the ground protection with future-proof tech,” he says, with a classic CoD catchphrase describing non-jetpack gameplay snuck in there. “That is The Guild. You care about future-proofing your finances, so maybe start thinking about how you’re protecting your life. If big tech’s watching you, The Guild is watching out for you.”

The ad read closes out with Hammer calling The Guild “a creative property of Activision” and directing them to the ARG site, but it’s all just words to the listener. What’s scary about this is how real it seems this ad could be. Buzzwords like AI systems and robotics, defense sector, and unpredictable times? Yeah, we’re living it, and that’s what makes the idea behind these ads and BO7 itself so interesting.

Visiting The Guild’s website shows robots helping people in disaster relief situations, and it looks to be a central part of BO7’s near-future story where the bots will likely be characters, killstreaks, or both. But honestly, it doesn’t seem too farfetched anymore. And that’s exactly the kind of note that Activision is trying to hit with these ads.

This year’s CoD may end up “sucking” in the eyes of players everywhere, yadda yadda, but this is some pretty cool marketing that I can’t help but appreciate. We’ll know and hear more about BO7 when its gameplay debuts at gamescom next week.