The latest *Call of Duty: Black Ops 6* crossover with *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles* has stirred quite the controversy within the gaming community. Activision announced the mid-season content update for Season 02 Reloaded on February 20, spotlighting the TMNT collaboration that has players questioning the game's monetization strategy. Each of the four turtles—Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael—comes bundled in a premium package expected to cost 2,400 COD Points, or $19.99 each. Collectively, fans wishing to own all four bundles would have to fork out a hefty $80 in COD Points.
Adding to the cost, Activision has introduced a premium event pass for the TMNT crossover, priced at 1,100 COD Points or $10, similar to the controversial Squid Game crossover. This pass is the only way to acquire the coveted Splinter skin, with the free track offering lesser rewards like Foot Clan soldier skins. While the crossover focuses heavily on cosmetics and does not impact gameplay, the community's response has been vocal, with many expressing frustration over the escalating costs of in-game items.
The Leonardo Tracer Pack is expected to cost 2,400 COD Points, or $19.99. Image credit: Activision Publishing.
Some players argue that the TMNT crossover is easy to ignore if you're not willing to spend, but the sentiment is that Activision's monetization tactics resemble those of free-to-play games like Fortnite. The criticism has intensified with the introduction of the second premium event pass in *Black Ops 6*, leading some to suggest that the game should transition to a free-to-play model, especially considering the existing monetization through battle passes and in-game store purchases.
The Turtles event pass is just the second ever in Call of Duty. Image credit: Activision Publishing.
Community reactions have been varied but strong. Redditor II_JangoFett_II expressed frustration, stating, "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!" Another user, Hipapitapotamus, lamented the shift from free, universally appealing rewards to costly event passes, saying, "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 pointed out the thematic inconsistency, noting, "The Turtles don’t use guns. Their fingers wouldn’t even... I hate this..." Meanwhile, PunisherR35 criticized the overall monetization model, suggesting, "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)."
Activision's monetization of *Black Ops 6* includes a standard battle pass at 1,100 COD Points/$9.99, a premium BlackCell version at $29.99, and a continuous flow of cosmetics in the store. The TMNT crossover and its premium event pass are additional layers on top of these existing monetization methods. This approach, while perhaps acceptable for the free-to-play *Warzone*, is seen by some as excessive for *Black Ops 6*, which already costs $70 for multiplayer access.
The calls for *Black Ops 6* Multiplayer to go free-to-play stem from the increasing similarity to other free-to-play titles like Fortnite and Apex Legends. Despite the backlash, Activision and its parent company Microsoft are likely to maintain their current strategy, buoyed by *Black Ops 6*'s record-breaking launch and impressive sales figures across PlayStation, Steam, and Game Pass subscriptions. The game's success, along with Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision, suggests that the current monetization model will continue to be a lucrative approach for the foreseeable future.
