Adding to a list of controversies that have plaguedCall of Duty: Black Ops 6since the game’s launch, the Premium Track of a new, limited-timeSquid Gameevent has sparked backlash from players. The latest in theCall of Dutyseries,Black Ops 6enjoyed a generally positive critical reception when it released in October 2024, garnering praise for its single-player campaign, online multiplayer, and its Zombies mode. Long-term players, however, have several serious complaints regarding the game’s monetization and cheating issues.
As reported byPCGamesN,the source ofBlack Ops 6’s newest controversy is the pricing of theSquid GameEvent Pass’s Premium Track, which costs 1,100 Call of Duty Points (priced at $9.99 USD). This price, as pointed out in the article, is the same as the game’s seasonal premium battle pass, but offers considerably less in terms of rewards. Since theSquid Gameevent is only available from January 2 to January 24, players will also have a relatively short window to complete it.
Squid Game Is Coming To Black Ops 6, But At What Cost?
The Squid Game Premium Track Is The Latest In A Long Line Of BO6 Microtransactions
As the article points out, the cost of theSquid GamePremium Track compared to the seasonal battle pass is even worse than it might seem at first. Not only does theSquid Gamepass offer fewer rewards, but, unlike the seasonal pass,it also doesn’t allow players to recoup their Call of Duty Points. Fan response, at least online, has been highly critical of theSquid Gamepass, with players protesting the ever-growing number of microtransactions thatBlack Ops 6is trying to sell on top of the game’s premium $69.99 price tag.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Review - Back to Basics
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a worthy inheritor of the series’ success, and while flush with content, there’s not enough innovation to be found.
Notably,Black Ops 6’sSquid Gameevent is the first seasonal event of its type to include a Premium Track—for previous events, all rewards were available for free. With the introduction of extra monetization for events, however, players have grown increasingly critical ofBlack Ops 6’s approach to monetization, as can be seen in this Reddit thread from userAgainst-The-Current. In the case ofSquid Gamespecifically, players have also pointed out the hypocrisy of monetizing an event based on a show that criticizes capitalism.
Black Ops 6 Players Have Quite A Bit To Say About Issues Such As This
Black Ops 6 Has Been Drawing Criticism From Players Since It Launched
Of course, theSquid Gameevent isn’t the first thing in the newestCall of Dutyto spark backlash from players, as the game’s excessive microtransactions, intrusive cosmetics, and decisions like theremoval of legacy double XP tokens fromBO6have all drawn heavy criticism from players. As pointed out in the PCGamesN article, particularly prevalentcomplaints from the community center around the game’s lackluster anticheat, and while an update to introduce stronger anticheat has been promised, increasing monetization has created the impression thatBO6prioritizes making money over a better gameplay experience.
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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 players are not thrilled with the release of the Draconic Forge Mastercraft tracer pack and the impact it has on the game.
Black Ops 6has been controversial for other reasons as well, drawing even more criticism forrequiring an online connectionat all times, even for single-player content, and for the instability of the game’s online play experience. Unfortunately, as long as the game’s approach to monetization continues to turn a profit, it’s unlikely to get any better, and online complaints have usually proven to be a vocal minority when it comes to protesting the microtransactions ofCall of Duty: Black Ops 6.
