A Call of Duty update introduced ads to loadout menus “in error”—the player base isn’t convinced it was an accident, though

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Players of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 are unhappy about the game’s $70 price tag, especially after in-game advertisements for cosmetics showed up in the loadout menu following the Season 4 update on May 28. These ads were taken down in a subsequent update on June 2, with the official statement explaining they had been accidentally released as a test.

📣 Oops! The Call of Duty #BlackOps6 / Call of Duty #Warzone A UI feature test, which accidentally displayed certain store content in Loadout menus during Season 4 update, was unintentionally published. This feature has been taken down from the live game as of June 2, 2025.

Regardless of Activision’s explanation, the appearance of ads within Call of Duty’s gaming experience has sparked frustration among many players due to their perception of aggressive monetization strategies. In addition, the revelation that the ads were apparently an unintentional user interface test has left them bewildered and skeptical. One player’s reaction encapsulates this sentiment: “Who thought it was a good idea in the first place? The game is already saturated with ads!

This year, Activision introduced a fee for an in-game event pass, which was linked to the promotion of Squid Game 2. These extra event passes have since been incorporated into the revenue model of CoD, adding on top of the existing expenses for seasonal battle passes, upgrades for the BlackCell battle pass, and bundles for Operators/weapons.

In a year, gamers might end up spending around $60 per season on passes alone, without factoring in personalized character skins and weapon camos bundles. For each annual premium Call of Duty title, there are usually six seasons of additional content post-launch. If you’re not an Xbox Game Pass subscriber, each season pass and the annual premium title will cost $70 apiece. So, to enjoy Call of Duty for a full year, players could potentially pay over $400 when buying every premium pass and the annual premium title.

Surprisingly, some gamers who criticized the addition of ads to the loadout menu argued that Activision’s monetization strategy made Call of Duty feel more like a free-to-play game rather than a premium title that requires upfront payment. Notably, Call of Duty’s annual $70 releases are linked to a free-to-play battle royale experience, Call of Duty: Warzone. The UI modifications tested in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 echoed those found in the free-to-play modes.

It appears that offering cosmetic weapon packages in the loadout menu during Black Ops 6 could have been a useful marketing strategy for players who like to collect in-game cosmetics, if it had been introduced earlier in the game’s lifecycle. This approach, where players can view unpurchased bundles when selecting an operator and then be guided to the store to purchase them, has been a part of Call of Duty’s marketing for some time now without any significant backlash from the community.

Despite the initial launch of Black Ops 6, the post-release support has faced challenges, particularly since Season 1. The integration between Black Ops 6 and Warzone didn’t go smoothly. The developers of Call of Duty have been grappling with persistent cheating issues, and server stability has been problematic following each update. With every new patch, something – be it a popular gameplay feature, favorite playlist, or purchased operator skin – gets disabled due to technical problems.

Call of Duty is a highly successful video game franchise, consistently ranking among the highest-grossing titles across all platforms. Despite the provision of free-to-play modes, some gamers may grow frustrated by the escalating attempts to encourage spending, even among dedicated fans who have supported the series for years.

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2025-06-04 11:09