The much-anticipated crossover between Call of Duty and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has sparked controversy due to its hefty price tag. To unlock all the items related to the four turtles—Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael—players might need to spend up to $90 in COD Points. Each turtle comes in a premium bundle, expected to cost 2,400 COD Points, or $19.99. Therefore, securing all four turtles would set you back $80 in COD Points.
The Leonardo Tracer Pack is expected to cost 2,400 COD Points, or $19.99. Image credit: Activision Publishing.
Adding to the cost, Activision has introduced a premium event pass for the Turtles crossover, priced at 1,100 COD Points or $10. This pass includes exclusive cosmetics like Splinter, which can only be obtained through this purchase. The free track of the event pass offers two Foot Clan soldier skins along with other cosmetics.
While the Turtles crossover focuses heavily on cosmetics without impacting gameplay, the community's response has been mixed. Many players feel it's easy to ignore such crossovers, leaving those willing to spend to enjoy the additional content. However, the high cost of these cosmetics has led to criticism of Activision's monetization strategy, with some fans suggesting that Black Ops 6 is being monetized as if it were a free-to-play game like Fortnite.
The Turtles event pass is just the second ever in Call of Duty. Image credit: Activision Publishing.
Community members have voiced their frustration on platforms like Reddit. User II_JangoFett_II remarked, "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!" Another user, Hipapitapotamus, suggested, "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 added a humorous yet critical comment, "The Turtles don’t use guns. Their fingers wouldn’t even... I hate this..."
Activision's approach to monetizing Black Ops 6 goes beyond the Turtles crossover. Each season introduces a new battle pass costing 1,100 COD Points or $9.99, with a premium version called BlackCell at $29.99. Additionally, a continuous stream of cosmetics is available in the store. The Turtles crossover and its premium event pass are layered on top of this existing monetization model.
PunisherR35 expressed concern about the cumulative cost, stating, "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)."
Activision's aggressive monetization isn't new, but the introduction of premium event passes, starting with the Squid Game crossover, has pushed some fans over the edge. The standardized monetization across the $70 Black Ops 6 and the free-to-play Warzone has drawn particular ire. What may be acceptable for Warzone isn't necessarily so for Black Ops 6, given its significant purchase price.
This has led to calls for Black Ops 6 Multiplayer to transition to a free-to-play model, mirroring games like Fortnite, Apex Legends, Marvel Rivals, and Warzone. However, given Call of Duty's immense popularity and financial success, Activision and its parent company, Microsoft, are unlikely to change their approach. Black Ops 6 set a record as the biggest Call of Duty launch ever and significantly boosted Game Pass subscriptions. Sales on PlayStation and Steam increased by 60% compared to 2023's Modern Warfare 3, reflecting the franchise's continued commercial strength.
