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The gaming giant has given away quality content in exchange for more than just monetisation...
Within the vast world of video games, endless titles are seen competing for your attention and money, but few franchises are more popular than Call of Duty, or ‘CoD’. For decades, FPS, or ‘First Person Shooter’ games, have dominated the gaming scene, often portraying the brutality and realism associated with conflict across many genres.
Thanks to increased favouritism and acceptance towards the introduction of microtransactions in video games, advertisements featuring the latest accessories, skins, DLC, and add-ons are omnipresent, resembling that of mobile games.
This combination of greed and consumerism is only the tip of the gaming iceberg, and the fast decaying value of AAA titles is becoming only more evident as companies keep releasing new, yet low quality games. Call of duty is unfortunately no longer an exception to this either.
Here's why.
Trends and Pop Culture
Released in 2017, Fortnite has since gained massive popularity, for its competitive, fast-paced nature paired with its recognisable aesthetic, attracts millions of people to this online Battle Royale. However, since its debut, competitors have been incorporating similar styles to their franchises too, often at the expense of losing their originality and lifelong fans.
Although not solely influenced by Fortnite, the similarities are uncanny. Whereas Fortnite features a broad variety of colourful and stylised characters or ‘skins,’ with some being celebrities and iconic themes, CoD is quite clearly creating content that’s almost identical. Weapons aren't excluded either, for camo in the style of candy canes, Christmas decorations, and even unicorns are available to use upon unlocking or purchasing.
In 2023, three more skin bundles featuring Nicki Minaj, Snoop Dogg, and 21 Savage, were introduced to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone. Costing around $20 each, they include items such as a pair of guns, keyrings, a loading screen, decorations for personal profiles, and one skin. That's not all, hundreds of cheaper add-ons are also available to be purchased online individually.
The focus on advertising paid content has become prolific amongst all primary franchises. So much, that previous games had minimalistic homepages, but now a PhD is needed to just find the campaign option.
Monetisation
Having to pay for additional content actually isn't a new concept within the gaming industry. From DLC, to character customisation, this sales strategy has been used for around two decades, with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion being one of the first titles to sell in-game accessories in 2006.
Despite its large adult audience, Call of Duty is commonly used by underage players, sometimes by children as young as 10, similarly to Fortnite. Due to this, the franchise has blatantly applied a whimsical, Fortnite-like aesthetic and monetisation strategy into its gaming too, capitalising on children's psychology as a gateway to their parent’s pockets.
Titles that rely on microtransactions are often advertised to target children, of which are more susceptible to marketing made by these companies. Young players may be pressured into buying additional content to keep up with friends, lured by the promise of power ups, or simply by addiction.
Psychologists agree that in-game purchases such as ‘loot boxes,’ or ‘Supply Drops’ as they're known in CoD, which contain randomised virtual prizes after exchanging real money for instant gratification, is essentially gambling.
With the online microtransaction market rising to $76.66bn in 2023, and continuing to rise every year, this controversial scheme used inside video games isn't stopping anytime soon. From attracting kids with ‘cool’ bundles of in-game benefits, to releasing endless seasons of Battle Passes, it gets increasingly harder to take a game supposedly about ‘war’ seriously.
Gameplay and Aesthetics
Similar to just about everything made today, CoD is progressively getting more fast-paced, leaving little room for players who favour tactical combat.
Call of Duty’s multiplayer was once defined by its intense gameplay, and Black Ops 2 is a great example of this. Featuring approximately 15 different game modes, 31 maps inspired by real locations and events, and customisable weapon loadouts with unlimited combinations available, BO2 provides heated combat potential for both playstyles.
Although released in 2012, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is widely regarded as the best CoD title ever created, for its sizable maps, loopable score streak rewards, and realistic weaponry has left an indomitable gameplay experience for many.
Sadly though, BO2’s level of supremacy wasn't to be continued, only a few later titles managed to compare, unlike today’s modern versions. Modern games are ruled by a high-octane, chaotic environment that encourages flashy headshots than strategic coordination.
This dramatic shift has seemingly made CoD more claustrophobic, for the focus on quick respawns, rapid run-and-gun engagement, and allowing 24 players per match whilst shrinking the maps, further enforces Fortnite’s gameplay style throughout BO6’s multiplayer.
Although older titles were also hubs of frenzied fighting, they included larger maps, various modes strictly emphasising defense, and riot shields, which are no longer available to select as a weapon, due to ‘encouraging defensive turtle tactics’ during combat.
With the developers at Treyarch deciding to pull away from including opportunities to use defensive and tactical strategies in gameplay, it couldn't have made the entry of this modern chaos any easier if it tried.
Storytelling and Campaign
BO2’s storytelling in its campaign set the bar high within the FPS genre. Set in 2025 with a narrative that spanned decades, offered players branching storylines with multiple endings, and environments based on real events, such as the Cold War. Its campaign is a unique blend between futuristic, technological warfare and historical events that are somewhat fictionalised, creating a compelling gameplay experience not to be forgotten.
Characters featured throughout this world are morally complex and compelling, with some being historical figures of the time, such as leader of UNITA (National Union of the Total Independence of Angola) Jonas Savimbi, who was a prominent anti-communist during the Cold War, and Manuel Noriega, a Panamanian military commander and dictator. He was also the de facto ruler of Panama during the 80s.
The other primary characters found within, although fictional, are just as believable as those who are real, for antagonist Raul Menendez, a terrorist and revolutionary leader driven by revenge and desire to build ‘a better world,’ incites global destruction by targeting world governments, evoking a layer of realism to the game’s plot.
Modern Call of Duty though, whilst ambitious in its own right, has strayed away from being the immersive, semi-realistic war franchise everyone knew and loved, and instead became what's essentially another FPS with supernatural elements.
BO6, set during Operation Desert Storm, follows CIA agents Troy Marshall and Frank Woods on a covert mission to dismantle a corrupt paramilitary group called Pantheon.
A pivotal part of the campaign involves Woods and his team discovering an underground bioweapons facility deep in the desert. From gathering intel, interrogating scientists, to assassinating guards, stealth is crucial here to survive, except for one thing, the enemies are zombies and sentient mannequins.
Yes. Zombies and evil mannequins.
This inclusion has led many to believe the developers are running out of ideas, and that supernatural monsters shouldn't be seen in a game about war, especially those inspired by real events. BO6 remains infamous for its questionable campaign filled with bland content and lack of immersion due to bad character design and storytelling, which resulted in a largely unpopular experience, chiefly amongst lifelong fans.
So, It’s Game Over for CoD?
In short, no.
Although I've only used BO2 and BO6 as examples, it doesn't mean either is the universal favourite within Call of Duty, for all titles have their flaws and disapproving opinions from players.
Whilst some might prefer the intense, chaotic action of recent titles, others value historical narratives. There will always be a diverse group of playstyles used throughout the franchise.
For better or worse, the gaming industry is forever evolving, and it’s down to those who consume its products that decide whether they're enjoyable or not. From microtransactions to bland character design, none are a recent phenomenon or exclusive to CoD, for they've existed for longer than we’d like to admit, but either way, they’re here to stay.
Ultimately, no matter if you're stuck in nostalgia or a sucker for Battle Passes, whatever you do, just have a good game! What, you don't like it? Then drop that one and play something else. After all, you only live once, so make it worth it!
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