Activision's TMNT Crossover Sparks Debate on Black Ops 6 Pricing

The upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover in *Call of Duty: Black Ops 6* has stirred significant controversy within the gaming community due to its high costs. Activision introduced the Season 02 Reloaded content on February 20, spotlighting the mid-season TMNT event. Players can acquire premium bundles for each of the four turtles—Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael—each expected to cost 2,400 COD Points, equivalent to $19.99. Wanting all four bundles would set players back by $80 in COD Points.

In addition to the turtle bundles, a premium event pass for the TMNT crossover will cost 1,100 COD Points, or $10, featuring exclusive cosmetics like Splinter. The free track of the event pass offers two Foot Clan soldier skins and other items, but those wanting Splinter must purchase the premium pass. This event pass marks only the second instance in *Call of Duty*, following the Squid Game crossover.

While the crossover focuses on cosmetics without affecting gameplay, many in the community feel that the high prices are excessive. Some players argue that the monetization strategy resembles that of free-to-play games like *Fortnite*. The frustration is evident in comments from the community, with users like II_JangoFett_II calling out the "gross greed" and others like Hipapitapotamus reminiscing about when events provided free, universal camos.

Activision's monetization of *Black Ops 6* includes a base battle pass at 1,100 COD Points / $9.99, a premium BlackCell version at $29.99, and various store cosmetics. The TMNT crossover and its premium event pass add to these costs, prompting players like PunisherR35 to suggest that *Call of Duty* should transition to a free-to-play model, given the accumulation of microtransactions.

Despite the backlash, Activision and its parent company Microsoft are likely to maintain their current monetization strategy, bolstered by *Black Ops 6*'s record-breaking launch and sales performance. The game not only set a new single-day Game Pass subscription record but also saw a 60% sales increase on PlayStation and Steam compared to *Modern Warfare 3* in 2023. These successes underscore the continued profitability of *Call of Duty*, justifying the high costs from a business perspective.