Activision Removes 'Test' Ads from Call of Duty Menus After Backlash

Activision has quietly removed controversial in-game advertisements that were spotted within *Call of Duty: Black Ops 6* and *Warzone* loadout menus following the release of Season 4. The ads, which promoted in-game weapon bundles, appeared directly in player-facing UI elements such as the build and weapon selection screens—making them unavoidable during gameplay preparation.

The move was met with immediate backlash from the community, with many players expressing frustration over what they described as overly aggressive monetization tactics. One user on Reddit stated, “I wouldn't even be mad if this was just in Warzone, a free game, but putting it in a pay-to-play premium title, with how expensive they're getting? F\*\*k off.” Another remarked, “This game is still 80€. I get that they make most of their money from the store, but I feel like the bare minimum for a premium product would be to not have ads clogging the menus right?”

In response to the criticism, Activision issued an official statement via Twitter, clarifying that the ads were not a deliberate feature. “A UI feature test that surfaced select store content in the Loadout menus was published in the Season 04 update in error,” the company said. “This feature has now been removed from the live game.”

However, not everyone in the community is buying the explanation. Some fans suspect the inclusion was a calculated experiment to gauge player reactions. “They do this crap every cycle around this time... introduce something awful and see if people are mad or not,” one fan commented. “If the outrage is enough they pretend like it was an accident and remove it.” Another added sarcastically, “AKA: we saw how much everyone hated and ridiculed our shameless attempt to include unavoidable ads so we removed it.”

This isn’t the first time the *Call of Duty* franchise has faced scrutiny over its monetization model. Players have grown accustomed to battle passes, premium battle passes, and increasingly expensive tiered content—on top of the base game’s $70 price tag (soon to rise to $80). However, many believe that Activision’s approach to microtransactions has intensified since Microsoft’s historic $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

With rumors circulating about the next *Call of Duty* title being a *Black Ops 2* remake or sequel, all eyes will be on Activision to see whether the publisher attempts to reintroduce similar ad placements—or doubles down on more invasive monetization strategies moving forward.