Activision has quietly introduced advertisements within loadout menus for both Black Ops 6 and Warzone during Season 4's launch, triggering significant player backlash.
The Growing Monetization Debate
Despite Activision's already controversial monetization approach across premium and free-to-play titles, this latest implementation of direct advertisements within core gameplay menus appears to have crossed a line for many players.
The new weapon bundle ads appear unavoidably in build and weapon customization screens - essential spaces where players traditionally fine-tune their combat setups.
Seriously? We have to deal with ads in our loadout menus now?
Did they actually add store ads to the weapon selection interface?
Season 4's "new feature": in-game weapon advertisements
Expanding Advertising Across the Interface
The controversy extends beyond loadout screens, with Activision also adding promotional content for bundles and Battle Passes within the Events tab - another traditionally ad-free section of the interface.
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Community feedback sourced from Call of Duty forums reveals widespread frustration:
- "I could understand this in free-to-play Warzone, but in an €80 premium game? Unacceptable."
- "The bare minimum expectation for a paid product should be ad-free menus."
- "The experience now resembles opening a mobile game with constant purchase prompts."
- "These aggressive placements won't increase sales - they just degrade user experience."
A Pattern of Increasing Monetization
While Call of Duty's monetization strategies have always drawn criticism, players report a noticeable escalation following Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard:
- Multiple tiers of battle passes
- Premium versions costing beyond the $70 base game price
- $80 price points becoming standard
The controversy coincides with Activision's recent acknowledgment that Warzone Mobile failed to meet expectations, despite being positioned as the franchise's mobile future.
IGN has reached out to Activision for official comment on these developments.
