UPDATE: 2025-07-11 20:08 EST BY RHIANNON BEVAN
Activision Responds
A representative of Activision has reached out to TheGamer to state that these rumours are “not true”. Our original report follows.
Summary
If last year’sCall of Duty: Black Ops 6felt particularly egregious with microtransactions,ranging from crossovers with the Teenage Muntant Ninja Turtles that cost a reported $100 for everythingtoanimations that players called “pay-to-win,“then things are reportedly about to get a whole lost worse.
That’s because, according to COD leaker TheGhostofHope, this year’sCall of Duty, whichhas been reported to be another Black Ops title and will also release on last-gen consoles, will introduce more seasonal LTMs (limited-time modes) that will be locked behind a Battle Pass.
Call Of Duty? More Like Pay Of Duty
In a post shared on social media, the leaker revealed that some of these LTMs will be considered “higher value” and will incorporate unique rewards and different modes but will ultimately require a Battle Pass to participate.
Currently, those offerings are free to all players. What’s more, “higher tier” skins, loot and crossover characters will also seemingly be tied to the Battle Pass, making the yet-to-be-announced pass seemingly the only way to keep up with the game’s content.
COD Has Tried Something Similar In The Past
It’s worth noting that the late December collaboration between Black Ops 6 and Squid Games tried something similar. At the time,an Event Pass was added to the game, with a “Premium” track being available to purchase.
That pay-to-play track allowed players to earn additional weapons, cosmetics and other goodies that those on the “free” track wouldn’t have access to otherwise. The reported Battle Pass changes seem like the next evolution of that idea.Insider Gaming noted in its report that this year’s COD will likely be an $80 title, making the prospect of a premium Battle Pass on top of that price tag much less palatable.
