After the Season 4 release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Warzone, ads for weapon bundles started appearing in the loadout and weapon menus, much to the surprise of gamers. Gamers began redoing set-ups to avoid frustration caused by the ads. Many felt that including these promotions in a premium, paid title like Black Ops 6 — on top of Warzone being free-to-play — was a bridge too far.
Community Outrage Sparks Debate
Gamers were quick to voice their displeasure. One gamer said, “Sure, I can deal with ads in a free game like Warzone, but a premium title with a price tag that keeps rising? No thanks.” One gamer claimed that this overpriced game should have easily provided a clean experience without advertisements in the menus. Some likened it to a mobile game experience when you’re constantly bombarded with suggestions to spend money.
Activision Responds and Removes Ads.
After the big fuss, Activision responded on social media and clarified that the ads were part of a UI test that was inadvertently released alongside the Season 4 update. The feature has been taken out of the live game, said the company. Folks in the CoD community weren’t buyin’ it, though, with some suggestin’ that the ads weren’t obvious accidents but rather just a way to test the waters on player reactions.
Fans Question Activision’s Intentions
Some players remarked that Activision had introduced something similar before and changed their mind after the backlash. A fan said that the company always tries to change something, sees if it sticks, and when it does not, it backs off and calls it an accident. Another person said that it got removed because there were bad comments and jokes made about the ads.
A Pattern of Monetisation Concerns
It’s not the first time Call of Duty has come under fire for monetisation Players are used to battle passes and premium battle passes, in addition to an even more expensive version on top of the game’s cost, which will likely go up. However, the community feels that the microtransaction approach has shown increasing aggressiveness after the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft. Concerns about government interference in content on Elon Musk’s Twitter have grown.
What’s Next for Call of Duty?
As the next Call of Duty game — which is said to be a sequel to Black Ops 2 — is approaching, players are closely watching Activision over the possibility of in-game ads. For the moment, the removal of loadout menu promotions has lessened the storm; however, it leaves fans uneasy about the future of the franchise at this point going forward.