Activision's Pricey TMNT Crossover Sparks Debate on Free-to-Play Future for Black Ops 6

The latest crossover event in *Call of Duty: Black Ops 6* featuring the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has sparked controversy within the gaming community, with players criticizing the high cost of obtaining all related items. Priced at up to $90 in COD Points, the event has led some to suggest that *Black Ops 6* should adopt a free-to-play model.

Activision announced the Season 02 Reloaded content for *Black Ops 6*, set to launch on February 20, which includes the mid-season TMNT crossover. The event offers four premium bundles, one for each turtle—Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael—each expected to cost 2,400 COD Points, or $19.99. Collecting all four bundles would require a total of $80 in COD Points.

Additionally, a premium event pass for the Turtles crossover is available for 1,100 COD Points / $10, featuring unique cosmetics including Splinter. The free track of the event pass offers items like Foot Clan soldier skins, but to get Splinter, players must purchase the premium track. This marks the second time *Call of Duty* has introduced a premium event pass, following the Squid Game crossover.

While the TMNT crossover focuses on cosmetics and does not impact gameplay, the community's reaction has been mixed. Many players argue that these crossovers can be easily ignored, yet the high costs have drawn significant criticism. Some community members feel that *Black Ops 6* is being monetized similarly to free-to-play games like *Fortnite*.

Community feedback on platforms like Reddit has been vocal. User II_JangoFett_II commented, "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!" Hipapitapotamus added, "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 noted, "The Turtles don’t use guns. Their fingers wouldn’t even... I hate this..."

Activision's monetization strategy for *Black Ops 6* includes a seasonal battle pass costing 1,100 COD Points / $9.99, with a premium BlackCell version at $29.99, alongside a continuous stream of store cosmetics. The addition of the TMNT premium event pass has intensified the debate over the game's pricing model.

PunisherR35 expressed 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)." The sentiment reflects a growing frustration with the game's monetization, especially when compared to the free-to-play *Warzone*, which shares similar monetization tactics but does not require an upfront purchase.

The call for *Black Ops 6* to become free-to-play stems from the perception that its monetization increasingly resembles that of popular free-to-play titles like *Fortnite*, *Apex Legends*, and *Marvel Rivals*. Despite the controversy, Activision and its parent company Microsoft are likely to maintain their current strategy, given *Black Ops 6*'s record-breaking launch and significant sales growth compared to previous titles. The game's success, including setting a new single-day Game Pass subscription record and a 60% sales increase on PlayStation and Steam compared to *Modern Warfare 3*, underscores its financial viability for Activision and Microsoft, which acquired the company for $69 billion.