Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a game of two halves. Although it has a single-player campaign that takes itself very seriously, it also has a multiplayer component that is a chaotic free-for-all, stuffed with wild cosmetics, microtransactions, and crossover events. The Call of Duty series has certainly not shied away from embracing the wackier side of things with its multiplayer offerings, but recent entries in the franchise, like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, have taken this approach to the next level, much to the chagrin of some long-time fans. These days, practically everything can be found in a Call of Duty game, from King Kong and Homelander skins to Donnie Darko and Snoop Dogg operator packs.
The latest crossover event for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and its free-to-play battle royale counterpart , Call of Duty: Warzone, was released earlier this month, and it includes cosmetics and modes inspired by the iconic Netflix TV show Squid Game. Activision had teased this Squid Game collaboration late last year to commemorate the then-upcoming release of the series' second season. Despite featuring a sizable amount of limited-time content, this Squid Game event, which is set to last until January 24, has been under fire lately due to the monetization methods it employs.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's Squid Game Event Continues a Worrying Trend For Zombies
Despite Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's multiplayer nailing its part of the Squid Game 2 event, Zombies stumbles, and it's a concerning sign for the mode.
The Call of Duty x Squid Game Event Pass Has Come Under Fire
Black Ops 6's Squid Game collaboration contains a free battle pass (also known as an Event Pass) that players can progress through to obtain new skins, emblems, calling cards, stickers, and other in-game items. The unlockable content in this battle pass is going to remain available to all players for the next few weeks, but it will soon become unobtainable once the event concludes on January 24. Battle passes like these that take advantage of players' FOMO are unfortunately a common occurrence in the Call of Duty series, and frankly, most other live service games.
Call of Duty's Squid Game Event Has Two Separate Battle Passes, One of Which is Paid
What isn't a common occurrence, however, is the inclusion of paid battle passes in a Call of Duty event. Indeed, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's Squid Game collaboration has a second, premium battle pass that's locked behind a paywall. Unlike the other free Event Pass in the game, this battle pass costs 1,100 CoD Points (a.k.a. $10) to unlock, and it includes exclusive cosmetics, such as a Front Man operator bundle, that cannot be obtained anywhere else. Premium battle passes have been present in Call of Duty games before, but this is the first time a collaboration in the series has featured its own paid set of in-game rewards.
Unsurprisingly, the reception towards this premium Squid Game battle pass has been fairly negative among the Call of Duty community. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Call of Duty: Warzone are already criticized regularly for their excessive microtransactions and pricey cosmetics, so the introduction of another FOMO-inducing monetization scheme into the games is the last thing that many fans would ask for. Of course, the fact that Black Ops 6 is a paid, $70 title and not a free-to-play game like Destiny 2 or Fortnite makes the situation even worse. The premium battle pass in the Squid Game collaboration would sting less if players who bought BO6, its Vault Edition upgrade, or its $30 Blackcell DLC received a discount of some sort, but sadly, that hasn't happened.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is still chugging along nicely when it comes to sales figures and concurrent player counts, but controversial decisions like this place a black mark on the reputation of an otherwise well-received game. Although the backlash towards this Squid Game battle pass will probably not convince Activision to stray away from its unfair monetization practices, it may at least encourage people to be more wary of these intrusive microtransactions in the future.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 91%
- Released
- October 25, 2024
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Suggestive Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Treyarch, Raven Software
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
- Engine
- IW 9.0
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- Yes - PlayStation, Xbox, PC
WHERE TO PLAY
Forced to go rogue. Hunted from within. This is Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
Developed by Treyarch and Raven, Black Ops 6 is a spy action thriller set in the early 90s, a period of transition and upheaval in global politics, characterized by the end of the Cold War and the rise of the United States as a single superpower. With a mind-bending narrative, and unbound by the rules of engagement, this is signature Black Ops.
The Black Ops 6 Campaign provides dynamic moment-to-moment gameplay that includes a variety of play spaces with blockbuster set pieces and action-packed moments, high-stakes heists, and cloak-and-dagger spy activity.
In a best-in-class Multiplayer experience, players will test their skills across 16 new maps at launch, including 12 core 6v6 maps and 4 Strike maps that can be played 2v2 or 6v6.
Black Ops 6 also marks the epic return of Round-Based Zombies, the fan-favorite mode where players will take down hordes of the undead in two brand-new maps at launch. Post-launch, players can look forward to even more exciting maps and groundbreaking experiences dropping into both Multiplayer and Zombies.
- Cross Save
- Yes - PlayStation, Xbox, PC
- Prequel(s)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Call of Duty: World at War
- Franchise
- Call of Duty
- Number of Players
- 1-4
- Split Screen Orientation
- Vertical or Horizontal
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- PC Release Date
- October 25, 2024
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- October 25, 2024
- PS5 Release Date
- October 25, 2024
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC
- Genre(s)
- FPS
- How Long To Beat
- 8 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- File Size Xbox Series
- 216 GB (October 2024)
- Local Co-Op Support
- 1-2 Players
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
