Activision has quietly removed controversial in-game advertisements that appeared within *Call of Duty: Black Ops 6* and *Warzone*, following a wave of backlash from the community. The ads, which promoted weapon bundles, were placed directly into the build and weapon menus—making them unavoidable for players customizing their loadouts during Season 4.
The decision to include these ads inside premium game titles sparked outrage among fans. Many argued that such intrusive monetization tactics are more suited to free-to-play mobile games than full-priced AAA titles. One player expressed frustration over the placement, stating, “I wouldn't even be mad if this was just in Warzone, a free game, but putting it in a pay-to-play premium title, with how expensive they're getting? F\*\*k off.” Others echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing that at nearly 80€, players expect a polished and ad-free experience.
Activision Responds
In response to the backlash, Activision took to social media to clarify the situation, calling the adverts a “UI feature test” that was “published in error” during the Season 4 update. The company confirmed that the feature has since been removed from the live game.
However, many players remain skeptical of Activision’s explanation. Some believe the inclusion was a deliberate move to gauge community reaction before potentially rolling out similar features permanently. As one fan put it, “They do this crap every cycle around this time... introduce something awful and see if people are mad or not. If the outrage is enough they pretend like it was an accident and remove it.” Another added sarcastically, “AKA: we saw how much everyone hated and ridiculed our shameless attempt to include unavoidable ads so we removed it.”
Monetization Concerns Grow
This incident isn’t the first time Call of Duty has faced criticism over its monetization model. With battle passes, premium battle passes, and increasingly expensive deluxe editions layered on top of the base game’s $70 (soon to be $80) price tag, fans feel the franchise is pushing the boundaries of fair microtransaction practices.
These concerns have only intensified since Microsoft’s historic $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, with many fearing that the publisher will adopt even more aggressive monetization strategies moving forward. Gamers are now closely watching development of the next *Call of Duty*, rumored to be a sequel to *Black Ops 2*, to see whether Activision will attempt to reintroduce in-loadout advertisements—or worse—as a permanent feature.
