Activision's TMNT Crossover Sparks Debate on Black Ops 6 Going Free-to-Play

The upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) crossover in *Call of Duty: Black Ops 6* is causing quite a stir within the gaming community. Activision has revealed that the Season 02 Reloaded content, launching on February 20, will feature premium bundles for each of the four turtles—Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael. These bundles, expected to cost 2,400 COD Points ($19.99) each, would mean players would have to spend a hefty $80 to collect all four. But that's not all; a premium event pass for the Turtles crossover, priced at 1,100 COD Points ($10), introduces additional exclusive cosmetics, including Splinter, which is only available through the premium track. The free track, on the other hand, offers two Foot Clan soldier skins among other items.

The Leonardo Tracer Pack is expected to cost 2,400 COD Points, or $19.99. Image credit: Activision Publishing.

While these cosmetics do not impact gameplay, the high cost has led to widespread criticism. Many players feel that Activision's monetization strategy is becoming reminiscent of free-to-play models like Fortnite, especially with the introduction of the second premium event pass following the Squid Game crossover. The community is vocal about their discontent, with some suggesting that *Black Ops 6* should adopt a free-to-play model to justify such aggressive monetization.

The Turtles event pass is just the second ever in Call of Duty. Image credit: Activision Publishing.

Community reactions have been strong, with players like redditor II_JangoFett_II calling out Activision's "gross greed" and Hipapitapotamus lamenting the loss of free, universal camo rewards from past events. APensiveMonkey humorously pointed out the absurdity of the TMNT characters using guns in the game.

Activision's monetization of *Black Ops 6* includes a base battle pass for 1,100 COD Points ($9.99), a premium BlackCell version for $29.99, and a continuous flow of store cosmetics. The addition of the TMNT event pass on top of these existing monetization methods has pushed some fans to their breaking point. PunisherR35 argued that if such monetization continues, *Call of Duty* should transition to a free-to-play model for its Multiplayer and campaign.

Despite the backlash, Activision and its parent company Microsoft are unlikely to change course, given the overwhelming success of *Black Ops 6*. The game achieved the largest Call of Duty launch ever and set a new single-day Game Pass subscription record. Sales on PlayStation and Steam surged by 60% compared to the previous year's *Modern Warfare 3*. With such financial success, Activision and Microsoft will likely continue their current strategy, even amidst calls for a shift to a free-to-play model.