The latest crossover event in *Call of Duty: Black Ops 6* featuring the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has sparked significant controversy within the gaming community. Activision unveiled the Season 02 Reloaded content set to launch on February 20, including the much-anticipated TMNT collaboration. However, the pricing has left many players feeling exploited, with the full set of Turtles-themed items potentially costing players up to $90 in COD Points.
Each of the four iconic turtles—Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael—comes with their own premium bundle, expected to cost 2,400 COD Points, or $19.99 each. This means that to collect all four turtles, players would need to spend $80. Additionally, Activision introduced a premium event pass for the Turtles crossover, priced at 1,100 COD Points or $10, which is the only way to unlock the Splinter character. The free track of the event pass offers less desirable items, such as two Foot Clan soldier skins.
While the crossover focuses heavily on cosmetics without impacting gameplay, the high cost of these items has led to widespread criticism. Some within the community argue that it's easy to ignore these optional purchases, but the sentiment that *Black Ops 6* is being monetized like a free-to-play game, such as *Fortnite*, is growing stronger.
Community reactions on platforms like Reddit have been vocal. User II_JangoFett_II stated, "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!" Another user, Hipapitapotamus, lamented the shift in event rewards, 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."
APensiveMonkey humorously criticized the thematic incongruity, saying, "The Turtles don’t use guns. Their fingers wouldn’t even... I hate this..."
Activision's monetization strategy for *Black Ops 6* includes a base battle pass priced at 1,100 COD Points or $9.99, and a premium BlackCell version at $29.99. Alongside these, a continuous stream of store-bought cosmetics is available, with the TMNT event pass adding to the overall expense.
PunisherR35 voiced frustration, saying, "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)." This sentiment reflects a broader call for *Black Ops 6* to transition to a free-to-play model, especially as it increasingly resembles other free-to-play titles like *Fortnite*, *Apex Legends*, and *Warzone* in its microtransaction approach.
Despite the backlash, Activision and its parent company Microsoft are unlikely to alter their strategy, given the game's immense popularity. *Black Ops 6* achieved the biggest launch in *Call of Duty* history and set a new record for Game Pass subscriptions in a single day. Sales on PlayStation and Steam also saw a 60% increase compared to 2023's *Modern Warfare 3*. With such financial success, the company seems poised to continue its current monetization tactics, much to the chagrin of its player base.
