The latest crossover between Call of Duty and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has sparked a wave of discontent among players, with some suggesting that Black Ops 6 should transition to a free-to-play model given the high costs associated with the new content. Activision recently revealed the Black Ops 6 Season 02 Reloaded update, set to launch on February 20, which includes a mid-season Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover.
Each of the four turtles—Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael—comes with their own premium bundle. These bundles are anticipated to cost 2,400 COD Points, or $19.99 each, which means a total of $80 in COD Points to collect all four. In addition to the individual turtle bundles, Activision has introduced a premium event pass for the Turtles crossover, priced at 1,100 COD Points or $10. This pass features unique cosmetics, including Splinter, which is exclusively available through this premium track. The free track offers two Foot Clan soldier skins among other items.
While the Turtles crossover focuses on cosmetics and does not impact gameplay, the community's reaction has been mixed. Many players argue that these crossovers are easy to ignore, allowing those who wish to spend more to do so. However, the high cost of these cosmetic items has led to significant criticism. Some players feel that the introduction of a second premium event pass in Call of Duty suggests that Black Ops 6 is being monetized similarly to free-to-play games like Fortnite.
Community members have voiced their frustrations on platforms like Reddit. User II_JangoFett_II commented, "Activision casually glossing over the fact that they want you to pay $80+ if you want the 4 Turtles, plus another $10+ if you want the TMNT event pass rewards. Call of Duty's Gross greed strikes again... DESPICABLE!" Hipapitapotamus added, "Guess we can expect an event pass sold every season now. Remember when events were good and got you cool universal camos for free." APensiveMonkey humorously noted, "The Turtles don’t use guns. Their fingers wouldn’t even... I hate this..."
Activision's monetization strategy for Black Ops 6 includes a new battle pass each season, costing 1,100 COD Points or $9.99, with a premium BlackCell version at $29.99. Alongside these, there's a continuous flow of cosmetics available in the store. The Turtles crossover and its premium event pass add to this already extensive monetization model.
PunisherR35 expressed a common sentiment, saying, "So they expect the playerbase to buy the game itself, buy the battle pass/black cell and now this? Na that's too much. If this is gonna be the norm moving forward, CoD needs to move to a FTP model (campaign, MP)." The aggressive monetization tactics, which began with the Squid Game crossover, have pushed some fans to their limits. The uniform monetization approach across the $70 Black Ops 6 and the free-to-play Warzone has led to comparisons with other free-to-play titles like Fortnite, Apex Legends, and Marvel Rivals.
Despite the backlash, Activision and its parent company Microsoft are likely to continue their current strategy, buoyed by the immense popularity of Call of Duty. Black Ops 6 achieved the largest launch in the franchise's history and set a new single-day Game Pass subscription record. Sales on PlayStation and Steam saw a 60% increase compared to 2023's Modern Warfare 3. With such strong performance, it's clear that Call of Duty remains a lucrative asset for Activision and Microsoft, especially after the latter's $69 billion acquisition of the company.
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