Activision Removes Controversial Ads from Call of Duty After Backlash

Activision has removed controversial in-game advertisements that appeared within Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Warzone loadout menus, stating the feature was published “in error” as part of a UI test.

Shortly after the release of Season 4, players began noticing unavoidable ads for weapon bundles in the weapon and loadout customization menus—core interfaces used to prepare for matches. These placements sparked immediate backlash, with many calling the move a new low for the franchise’s monetization strategy.

The response from the community was swift and scathing. “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**k off,” one player wrote. Others echoed the sentiment, criticizing the intrusion in a full-priced game. “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,” another commented. “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,” added a frustrated fan.

Did they seriously add bundle ads to the weapon selection menu?
byu/JustTh4tOneGuy inblackops6

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In a tweet, Activision confirmed the removal: “A UI feature test that surfaced select store content in the Loadout menus was published in the Season 04 update in error. This feature has now been removed from the live game.”

Despite the official explanation, many players remain skeptical. Some believe the rollout was intentional—a tactic to gauge community reaction before backtracking. “They do this crap every cycle around this time... introduce something awful and see if people are mad or not,” said one fan. “If the outrage is enough they pretend like it was an accident and remove it.” Another remarked, “AKA: we saw how much everyone hated and ridiculed our shameless attempt to include unavoidable ads so we removed it.”

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Call of Duty has had its monetization crises in the past, and players are no strangers to battle passes, premium tiers, and escalating in-game costs on top of the base $70 price tag—soon to rise to $80. However, there's a growing concern that monetization has intensified since Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

All eyes are now on the next Call of Duty title, reportedly a sequel to Black Ops 2, to see whether Activision will revisit the idea of in-menu advertisements—or take a step back in response to player feedback.