Activision Sneaks Ads into Call of Duty Loadouts, Sparking Player Backlash

With the release of Call of Duty Season 4, Activision has introduced in-game advertisements within loadout menus for both Black Ops 6 and Warzone, prompting widespread frustration among players.

Activision has long faced criticism for its aggressive monetization tactics—especially in Black Ops 6, a premium title, and its free-to-play counterpart Warzone. However, this new integration of ads appears to have crossed a line for many fans.

Since the Season 4 update, players browsing their weapon and class builds are now met with promotional banners for in-game weapon bundles. These ads appear directly inside the build customization menus, making them unavoidable during setup.

“Really? I have to see this shit now even in the loadouts?”
– u/SWO0ZY in r/blackops6

“Did they seriously add bundle ads to the weapon selection menu?”
– u/JustTh4tOneGuy in r/blackops6

“Season 4 brings new ad spot in game for weapons”
– u/whambampl in r/blackops6

In addition to the loadout ads, Activision has also inserted promotional content into the Events tab, featuring advertisements for cosmetic bundles and the Battle Pass. This change has drawn further ire from the community.

“Don’t miss the ‘opportunity to buy skins’ event!”
– u/tideshark in r/blackops6

Here's a snapshot of the player sentiment, gathered from various Call of Duty subreddits, Discord servers, and social media platforms:

“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** off.”
“This game is still 80€. I get that they make most of their money from the store, but I feel like the bare minimum for a premium product would be to not have ads clogging the menus, right?”
“At this point, it really feels like opening up a mobile game with how much more you see an option to buy anything in this game.”
“Anyone who wanted this bundle would've checked the store and bought it. Putting it here isn't gonna make more people buy it—it’s just* annoying.”
“Just wait until they add pop-up ads for bundles while you’re playing the game.”

Monetization concerns are nothing new for the Call of Duty franchise. Players have grown accustomed to battle passes, premium battle passes, and even pricier tiered pass options layered on top of the base game’s $70 price tag (soon to rise to $80). But following Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, many feel that the brand’s microtransaction model has only intensified.

It’s also worth mentioning that earlier this month, Activision officially canceled Warzone Mobile, the project intended to expand the battle royale experience to mobile devices, after admitting it failed to meet expectations.

IGN has reached out to Activision for comment.