The constant content updates and core changes for Call of Duty are showing no signs of slowing down, with Black Ops 6 and Warzone recently diving into Season 4, which itself has heralded a lot of new features across the IP. While a lot of the new seasonal content for Black Ops 6 and Warzone have been welcomed, such as the re-introduction of Grief to Zombies or the addition of a new POI to Verdansk, some more recent changes have already caused a lot of backlash.
It is no secret that the modern multiplayer formula of Call of Duty and its annual release schedule is directly tied to the live service model, with this constant cycle of content coming with many more opportunities for microtransactions, which are divisive at best. While players have largely come to grips with things like battle passes and in-store content bundles, a recent advertising change to the franchise's loadout system understandably caused a wave of criticism, forcing Activision into swift action to reverse it.
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Call of Duty's Loadout Advertisements Have Muddied the Waters of Season 4
The live service model is a growing staple of modern shooters, being pioneered by industry-dominating titles like Fortnite, with modern Call of Duty being defined by in-game seasons and a wide range of microtransactions for things like unique weapon blueprints and operator skins. While this can be seen as an unfortunate quirk of modern gaming, Call of Duty has landed itself in hot water several times recently in terms of how far it is aiming to push this intense level of monetization.
For example, there are now several premium versions of Call of Duty's seasonal battle passes that players can choose from, with rumors pointing towards increased future paywalls for things like limited-time events and modes. This worrying trend recently reached a fever pitch with Season 4's launch, with fans quickly noticing a jarring update for the loadout menu's user interface.
Season 4 of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Warzone launched on May 29, and is expected to run until June 24.
This change saw advertisements for Call of Duty's in-game store be plastered alongside the usual loadout customization options, with the game's store offerings becoming increasingly unavoidable as a result. These changes quickly brewed a storm of player backlash that echoed throughout the community, with Acitvision quickly reversing these UI changes alongside a statement which attempted to justify the initial loadout alterations.
The Damage is Done Despite Activision's Quick Reversal of CoD's Loadout Ads
According to Activision, these loadout advertisements were part of a series of UI test changes that were accidentally launched across Black Ops 6 and Warzone, with this supposed error being quickly noticed and once again removed from any live game builds. Accidental or not, many fans have pointed out that this invasive selling practice was still the result of something that Activision may have eventually intended to officially release, painting a worrying picture of the future of Call of Duty as a whole.
Some players have questioned whether these changes were truly accidental or a mere testing of the waters in terms of how receptive fans might be to such changes, and either way, it seems clear that the community is largely against any expansion of store-related advertisements. Many players clearly feel that the loadout customization menus of Black Ops 6 and Warzone should exist completely away from the increasingly large world of microtransactions that modern Call of Duty offers, with this advertisement-related controversy adding to a concerningly long list of monetization incidents that have caused division between CoD and its playerbase.
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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
- Genre(s)
- FPS
