With the arrival of Call of Duty: Season 4, Activision has introduced in-game advertisements within loadout menus for both Black Ops 6 and Warzone, triggering a wave of frustration and criticism from the player community.
Activision’s monetization model has long been under scrutiny, especially regarding the premium pricing of Black Ops 6 and the free-to-play nature of Warzone. However, this new layer of advertising appears to have crossed a line for many players who feel that the experience is becoming overly commercialized.
Upon the release of Season 4, players began noticing ads for weapon bundles embedded directly into the build and weapon selection menus. These promotions are unavoidable during the customization process, appearing every time players adjust their loadouts.
“Really ? I have to see this shit now even in the loudouts”
— u/SWO0ZY in r/blackops6
“Did they seriously add bundle ads to the weapon selection menu?”
— u/JustTh4tOneGuy in r/blackops6
“Season 4 brings new ad spot in game for weapons”
— u/whambampl in r/blackops6
In addition to loadout ads, Activision has also inserted promotional banners for bundles and the Battle Pass into the Events tab—an update that has only added fuel to the fire.
“Don’t miss the ‘opportunity to buy skins’ event!”
— u/tideshark in r/blackops6
Here's a sample of the wider community reaction, pulled from Call of Duty subreddits, Discord servers, and social media platforms:
- *"I wouldn't even be mad if this was just in Warzone, a free game, but putting it in a pay-to-play premium title, with how expensive they're getting? F** off."
- "This game is still 80€. I get that they make most of their money from the store, but I feel like the bare minimum for a premium product would be to not have ads clogging the menus."
- "At this point, it really feels like opening up a mobile game with how much you’re prompted to buy something in this game."
- "Anyone who wanted this bundle would've checked the store and bought it. Putting it here isn't gonna make more people buy it—it's just annoying."
- "Just wait until they add pop-up ads for bundles while you're playing the game."
Monetization concerns are nothing new for the Call of Duty franchise. Players have grown accustomed to battle passes, premium battle passes, and even tiered versions of those passes—on top of the base game’s $70 price tag (soon to rise to $80). Yet there is a growing sentiment that Activision’s approach to microtransactions has intensified since Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
Adding to the recent turbulence, Activision recently announced the cancellation of [ttpp], the mobile iteration of Warzone that was intended to shape the future of the battle royale genre. The company admitted the project failed to meet expectations, further raising questions about its strategic direction.
IGN has reached out to Activision for comment on the latest developments.
