Activision Insists Heavily Criticized Call of Duty Black Ops 6 and Warzone Ads in Loadout Menus Were a 'Test' Published 'In Error,' Strips Them Out Following Backlash

Activision has removed controversial Call of Duty ads that appeared in Black Ops 6 and Warzone loadouts, claiming they were a “UI feature test” released “in error.”

After Season 4 launched last week, players spotted advertisements for weapon bundles within the build and weapon menus of both Black Ops 6 and Warzone. These ads were unavoidable as players customized their loadouts.

Players reacted with intense frustration, with many calling it the final straw. “I wouldn’t even be upset if this were only in Warzone—a free game—but putting ads in a premium, pay-to-play title, especially as prices keep rising? F**k off,” wrote one frustrated player. “The game still costs 80€—I get they rely on the store for revenue—but shouldn’t the bare minimum for a premium product be no intrusive ads cluttering the menus?” added another. “At this point, it feels exactly like opening a mobile game, with every screen pushing another purchase option,” said a third player.

Did they seriously add bundle ads to the weapon selection menu?
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.reddit-embed-wrapper iframe { margin-left: 0 !important; }Now, Activision has tweeted that the ads have been taken down, offering this explanation: “A UI feature test that surfaced select store content in the Loadout menus was published in the Season 04 update in error,” the company tweeted. “This feature has now been removed from the live game.”

There’s widespread skepticism among Call of Duty fans regarding Activision’s claim, with many doubting the ads were accidental.

“They do this every cycle around this time… roll out something terrible and see if people flip out,” one fan remarked. “If the backlash is loud enough, they act like it was a mistake and pull it.” “AKA: we saw how much everyone hated and mocked our blatant push for unavoidable ads, so we removed it,” another commented.

Call of Duty has faced monetization controversies before, of course. Players are no strangers to battle passes, premium battle passes, and even pricier tiers layered on top of the $70 (soon to be $80) base price. But many now feel the franchise’s microtransaction approach has grown significantly more aggressive since Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

All eyes are on the next Call of Duty—reportedly a Black Ops 2 sequel—to see if Activision will truly roll out loadout ads for good this time.