Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is advertising directly to players through the killcam. This new feature lets players add weapon blueprints and skins from the killer to a wishlist.
As shown in a Twitter/X post, if you are eliminated and the player that killed you owns a bundle, weapon, or skin that you do not have, it will be displayed, and you will have the option to wishlist it. There’s a “Wishlist Blueprint” button in the bottom right corner directly under the item that you do not own. This feature was tested in the Modern Warfare 2019 beta but was removed before the final release.
Now, instead of just getting curb-stomped by an enemy, the game will give you the option to copy his fit, too. That’s adding insult to injury, but is admittedly very funny. I can imagine someone playing with a friend and saying, “Buy the boots I stomped you with too!” after getting a kill.
This change is meant to make it easier for players to buy the cosmetics they like. However, this is clearly just a way to advertise to players during the game without much backlash. The new wishlist feature is part of a larger trend of money-making tactics in Black Ops 6 that many players are unhappy with.
For example, a recent event with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles required players to spend a lot of money to get all the character bundles, which upset a lot of people. The T-800 Terminator skin also received criticism because it’s hard to see in the game, making some feel it gives players an unfair advantage if they pay for it. Additionally, Activision introduced a system that gives players extra experience points based on how many BlackCell purchases they make.
It’s not hard to list examples of Activision trying to get money from players in Call of Duty. How the company goes about it is what raises concerns about the fairness of making players pay to progress in the game. I digress, and in my opinion, Call of Duty tends to focus too much on selling things and not enough on improving the gameplay.
The kill-cam wishlist feature seems convenient, but it is literally a form of in-game advertising. This is normally how these kinds of things start, with the intrusion being small and insignificant. As we get used to it, Activision will make these advertisements grow and become more visible through updates.
A good example is Bethesda’s Horse Armor DLC, which angered players. The reason for the anger was over a developer charging money for cosmetics. That original horse armor DLC was $2.50, and Blizzard now sells horse armor add-ons for $25. People getting used to things is how it grows to be blatant without care.
One main concern of mine is how this can be taken advantage of. Call of Duty is known for bots in the lobby, and it would cost Activision nothing to make sure those bots are always equipped with microtransactions you don’t have. This would ensure your killcam always has wishlistable items.
Ad bots literally hunting you down before GTA 6 releases is one thing, but if this works, other games will implement the system. If anything, we’re seeing the first stage of what will eventually be normal in video games. I know because I come from a time before ads were displayed on the video game’s main menu. I remember seeing videos of people angry because the original Dragon’s Dogma advertised DLC once you booted it up.
To sum up, we’re basically just going to have to accept that these things are coming. It’s a good idea to enjoy how small and insignificant that button is on the bottom right before it becomes a banner ad hiding portions of the kill cam. You can also try just playing another game.
Source: Charlie Intel/X
