Activision's Costly Call of Duty Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Crossover Has Some Players Saying Black Ops 6 Should Just Go Free-to-Play at This Point

The recent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) crossover in *Call of Duty: Black Ops 6* has sparked significant debate within the gaming community, primarily due to its hefty price tag. Announced as part of the Season 02 Reloaded update, set to launch on February 20, this crossover introduces premium bundles for each of the four turtles: Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael. Each bundle, expected to cost 2,400 COD Points or $19.99, means that collecting all four would require an investment of $80 worth of COD Points.

In addition to the turtle bundles, Activision has introduced a premium event pass for the TMNT crossover, priced at 1,100 COD Points or $10. This pass is the only way to unlock Splinter and other exclusive cosmetics, while the free track offers less desirable items like Foot Clan soldier skins. The premium event pass, following the model of the previous Squid Game crossover, has intensified the conversation around the game's monetization strategy.

While the TMNT crossover focuses solely on cosmetics without affecting gameplay, the high costs have not sat well with many players. Community members have taken to platforms like Reddit to voice their frustrations. User II_JangoFett_II highlighted the steep price, stating, "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!" Similarly, Hipapitapotamus expressed nostalgia for when events offered free rewards, and APensiveMonkey critiqued the thematic incongruity of the turtles in a gun-based game.

The monetization of *Black Ops 6* extends beyond the TMNT crossover. Each season introduces a new battle pass, with the base version costing 1,100 COD Points or $9.99, and a premium version, BlackCell, at $29.99. Additionally, the in-game store offers a constant stream of purchasable cosmetics. This layered approach to monetization has led some players, like PunisherR35, to suggest that *Call of Duty* should transition to a free-to-play model, akin to *Fortnite* or *Warzone*, to justify the ongoing costs.

Activision's monetization tactics, while not new, have reached a tipping point with the introduction of premium event passes. The comparison to free-to-play games is particularly poignant given that *Black Ops 6* requires a $70 purchase to access its multiplayer mode. The shared monetization strategy with the free-to-play *Warzone* has only fueled the debate further.

Despite the controversy, *Black Ops 6* has seen unprecedented success, becoming the biggest *Call of Duty* launch ever and setting a new record for Game Pass subscriptions in a single day. Sales on PlayStation and Steam have increased by 60% compared to the previous year's *Modern Warfare 3*. This success, following Microsoft's acquisition of Activision for $69 billion, underscores the lucrative nature of the franchise, yet the ongoing debate about its monetization strategy shows no signs of abating.