Activision says gross Call of Duty loadout screen ads were only a test that was added “in error”, but it doesn’t excuse how vile that test is

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a $70 game that’s riddled with microtransactions, battle passes and all manner of unsettling additions. However, Activision recently added a feature to the game would make even 2016-era Electronic Arts do a cartoon double-take as advertisements were added to the multiplayer game’s loadout screen.

In Call of Duty, the loadout screen allows players to customise their equipment, select their perks and tweak their play style. However, Activision recently added advertisements for paid skins into the loadout menu, setting a new precedent for how far the company will go to nickel and dime its player base.

In a statement on social media, Activision claimed that the advertisements in the game’s loadout screens were only a “test”.

“A UI feature test that surfaced select store content in the Loadout menus was published in the Season 04 update in error,” the official COD Updates account claimed. “This feature has now been removed from the live game.”

Really ? I have to see this shit now even in the loudouts
byu/SWO0ZY inblackops6

Of course, this feature was only removed from the live version of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 after a slew of complaints online. As the feature invaded loadout screens for all players, many long-time CoD fans felt betrayed by its inclusion, and that doesn’t matter if the gross advertisements were a test or not.

Call of Duty fans spend $70 every year to play the next entry in the series, and many spend even more on battle passes and individual cosmetics. Starting up the latest CoD title already feels like entering a free-to-play mobile game with reminders of paid addons, other games to play and more.

While CoD may not be littered with gacha pulls for characters or loot boxes to grab skins, it already feels as predatory as possible. Activision’s attempts to push its monetisation as far as possible makes just opening the game feel like you’re punishing yourself.

CoD isn’t the only Activision game that does this either. Diablo 4 battle passes and microtransactions have also been pushed way further than they ever should be. Yes, companies like EA have deserved more than its fair share of hate for how its ruined the value of games, but Activision has—and still is—pushing it further every year.

As games cost more every year, this type of money-hungry, penny-pinching behaviour, which always was unacceptable, is becoming even more egregious than ever before. While it could be excused in a free-to-play game, forcing advertisements into every crevice of a paid, expensive product should never be acceptable.