Activision's latest crossover event with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) in *Call of Duty: Black Ops 6* has sparked controversy within the gaming community due to its high cost. The event, unveiled as part of the Season 02 Reloaded content set to launch on February 20, offers premium bundles for each of the four turtles—Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael. Each bundle is expected to cost 2,400 COD Points, or $19.99, totaling $80 if players wish to collect all four. Additionally, a premium event pass priced at 1,100 COD Points, or $10, includes exclusive cosmetics like Splinter, with no alternative means to acquire these items.
While the TMNT crossover focuses solely on cosmetics and does not affect gameplay, it has led to significant criticism regarding the pricing strategy. Many players feel that the costs associated with these bundles and the event pass reflect monetization practices more typical of free-to-play games like Fortnite. This sentiment is compounded by the fact that *Black Ops 6* is a premium title with a $70 price tag for multiplayer access.
Community members have voiced their frustration 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!" Others, like Hipapitapotamus, lamented the shift from free event rewards to paid content, 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."
The monetization model of *Black Ops 6* extends beyond the TMNT event. Each season introduces a new battle pass, with the base version costing 1,100 COD Points ($9.99) and a premium BlackCell version at $29.99. Additional cosmetics are available for purchase in the store, adding to the overall expense for players. This has led some, like PunisherR35, to suggest that *Call of Duty* should transition to a free-to-play model for its multiplayer component, stating, "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)."
Despite the backlash, Activision and its parent company Microsoft are unlikely to alter their monetization strategy given the immense popularity and financial success of *Black Ops 6*. The game achieved the largest launch in the franchise's history and broke records for Game Pass subscriptions on its first day. Sales on PlayStation and Steam also surged by 60% compared to the previous year's *Modern Warfare 3*. This success underscores the lucrative nature of the *Call of Duty* franchise for Microsoft, which acquired Activision for $69 billion.
