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Call of Duty has come a long way from implanting microtransaction models in their games, and the recent Squid Game Premium Event Pass has given Black Ops 6 a very bad look. But, I’d like to announce a hot take here: BO6 and Warzone today are way better than how CoD monetized its content years ago. Now wait! Don’t point your guns at me like that and hear me out.
What We Paid For Then In Call of Duty
- Loot Boxes
- Maps
- Guns
- Bundles
- Season Pass
Call of Duty started its microtransactions way back with Call of Duty 4, releasing a map pack for the price of $9.99. The same model was then followed by World At War, BO1, and the rest of the games up until MW3 which introduced the Season Pass system. Now this was the golden age of CoD, and you paid for getting new Zombies and MP maps, which is just fine.
However, Black Ops 2 introduced the first DLC weapon and skins you had to pay for. This was later taken to the next level in Advanced Warfare by implanting the loot boxes, something which you pay to buy, and the rewards inside are completely random. So if a new DLC weapon is released and you can only get that from a loot box, you might spend a lot of money on the spinning wheel and never get the firearm.
Meanwhile, those with the DLC weapon might just dominate the meta, even if that’s only for a while before it’s nerfed. So in practicality, not only you’re paying for the game, maps, and weapons, but you also leave your money up to the chance. That’s gambling on CoD‘s level. The same model was followed for years by Call of Duty, and it was the worst I can remember.
What We Pay For Now In Call of Duty
- Battle Pass
- Black Cell
- Bundles
Starting from Modern Warfare 2019, Call of Duty switched to the seasonal system, which brought all the DLCs outside the microtransactions zone. All you had to do was own the game released and probably give it $10 for a Battle Pass that’d give you 1100 CP + 300 extra for your next season. So basically, you get all the guns, maps, and new content without spending anything.
However, Call of Duty‘s store is now filled with different bundles, skins, and cosmetic items. For a guy like me, these are nothing but extras, things I don’t need to enjoy the game. The story, gameplay, and experience are what matters, not the way I look when finishing a Zombies quest.
Conclusion: Maps or Skins?
There are a ton of bundles, skins, and different stuff in the Call of Duty store right now, but if we compare it to the OG microtransaction models, which one’s worth the money? Which is needed for your game? A new map and weapon, or a new skin that others get to see and not yourself for the most time?
If you didn’t own a map, like the Moon in Black Ops 1, you couldn’t play it with your friends. But if you don’t own a character’s skin, would you be stuck in joining a match of Citadelle des Morts in Black Ops 6? That’s what we need to consider when spending hundreds of dollars on cosmetics that wouldn’t do anything more than look cool.
