With the release of Call of Duty Season 4, Activision has introduced in-game advertisements within loadout menus for both Black Ops 6 and Warzone, prompting widespread criticism from the player community.
Activision has long faced scrutiny over its monetization practices, particularly in the premium title Black Ops 6 and its free-to-play counterpart Warzone. However, this latest addition appears to have crossed a line for many players.
Upon the launch of Season 4, players began noticing ads for weapon bundles embedded directly into the build and weapon selection menus. These promotional elements are unavoidable, appearing every time players adjust their loadouts.
“Really? I have to see this shit now even in the loadouts”
— 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 menu ads, Activision has also inserted promotions for bundles and the Battle Pass into the Events tab—an update that has further fueled discontent among fans.
“Don’t miss the ‘opportunity to buy skins’ event!”
— u/tideshark in r/blackops6
Here’s a snapshot of the community reaction, pulled from various 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, right?”
“At this point, it really feels like opening up a mobile game with how much more you see an option to buy anything 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.”
Call of Duty has certainly had its share of monetization controversies in the past. Players have grown accustomed to battle passes, premium battle passes, and even pricier tiered versions—on top of the base game’s $70 (soon to be $80) price tag. Yet, there’s a growing sentiment that Activision’s microtransaction model has intensified since Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
It’s also worth noting that earlier this month, Activision officially discontinued [ttpp], the game positioned to redefine the battle royale experience on mobile—admitting it failed to meet expectations.
IGN has reached out to Activision for comment.
