Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is quite the split experience. On one hand, it offers a single-player campaign that stays serious, while on the other, its multiplayer mode dives headfirst into pure chaos. With a host of flashy cosmetics, microtransactions, and crossover events, the multiplayer component bears little resemblance to its more formal campaign. The franchise hasn’t been shy about embracing this wild side in multiplayer recently, with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 pushing this trend even further. Long-time fans might not be thrilled, but for those who love variety, there’s plenty available—from King Kong and Homelander skins to operator packs featuring Donnie Darko and Snoop Dogg.
Earlier this month, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and the free-to-play battle royale spinoff, Call of Duty: Warzone, kicked off their latest crossover event featuring elements from the iconic TV series, Squid Game. This collaboration, teased by Activision late last year in anticipation of Squid Game’s second season, has introduced a plethora of limited-time content. However, despite the excitement, the event, which will run until January 24, has faced criticism over its monetization practices.
At the heart of the controversy is Black Ops 6’s Squid Game collaboration, which includes a free event pass. This pass enables players to unlock a variety of skins, emblems, calling cards, and stickers. While available for a while, the content will become unobtainable after the January deadline, a practice that plays into players’ fear of missing out (FOMO). Unfortunately, this tactic is not new to Call of Duty, nor to many other live service games.
What’s made waves this time is the introduction of a paid battle pass alongside the free one—a rarity for Call of Duty events. In this case, unlocking the premium pass costs 1,100 CoD Points (roughly $10) and provides exclusive cosmetics, such as the Front Man operator bundle, that can’t be obtained elsewhere. While premium passes have appeared in Call of Duty titles before, this is the first instance where a collaboration has incorporated its own set of exclusive paid rewards.
Unsurprisingly, this paid Squid Game battle pass has not been warmly received by the Call of Duty community. Already under fire for its microtransactions and costly cosmetics, adding another FOMO-driven monetization scheme doesn’t sit well with many fans. The discontent is compounded by the fact that Black Ops 6, unlike free-to-play games like Destiny 2 or Fortnite, is a full-priced $70 title. Implementing discounts for players who purchased the base game, its Vault Edition, or the $30 Blackcell DLC could have mitigated some of the backlash, but alas, no such offers have been provided.
Despite the uproar over this decision, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 continues to perform well in terms of sales and player engagement. However, these contentious monetization strategies blemish the otherwise well-regarded game. While it’s unlikely that this feedback will lead Activision to alter its approach, it might prompt players to be more cautious of such aggressive microtransactions going forward.
Developed by Treyarch and Raven, Black Ops 6 transports players to a thrilling period of the early 90s, with its narrative deeply rooted in the uncertainties of global politics at the time. As a signature Black Ops installment, it boasts an engaging campaign with intense gameplay moments and an expansive multiplayer experience. With 16 new maps at launch, including core 6v6 maps and smaller Strike maps, players have plenty of settings to explore. Adding to the excitement is the return of the beloved Round-Based Zombies mode, challenging players to fend off hordes of the undead with new maps and ongoing updates.
