Summary
- Call of Duty faces community outrage for prioritizing a new store bundle over addressing persistent game issues.
- Warzone and Black Ops 6 Ranked Play modes are plagued by rampant cheating, remaining largely unresolved.
- Steam player counts for Call of Duty show a significant decline, fueling concerns about the game's declining popularity.
A recent tweet from the official Call of Duty Twitter account promoting a new store bundle has ignited a firestorm of criticism, garnering over 2 million views and countless responses accusing Activision of being tone-deaf to player concerns. Multiple Call of Duty titles, including Warzone and Black Ops 6, are grappling with serious issues, yet Activision's focus on promoting new store bundles instead of addressing these problems has pushed many players to the breaking point.
Released on October 25, 2024, Black Ops 6 initially received positive reviews. However, recent weeks have witnessed a sharp downturn. Even professional players like Scump have publicly stated that the franchise is in its worst state ever. The backlash stems from a multitude of problems affecting both Black Ops 6 and Warzone, including rampant cheating in Ranked Play, persistent server issues, and other game-breaking bugs.
Call of Duty Tweet Sparks Outrage
Continuing the Call of Duty x Squid Game collaboration, Activision's January 8th tweet promoting a new Squid Game-themed store bundle backfired spectacularly. Fans overwhelmingly criticized Activision for its apparent inability to prioritize addressing critical in-game issues. With Black Ops 6 and Warzone struggling, many believe Call of Duty's social media presence should be focused on acknowledging and resolving these problems, rather than promoting new purchases.
The tweet drew immediate criticism, largely due to the ongoing cheating problem. Content creator FaZe Swagg urged Activision to "read the room," while CharlieIntel highlighted the severity of Ranked Play's broken state. User Taeskii voiced a common sentiment, vowing to boycott store bundles until the anti-cheat measures are improved.
Beyond online criticism, many players are reportedly abandoning the game altogether. Since Black Ops 6's October launch, Call of Duty's Steam player count has plummeted dramatically. While data for PlayStation and Xbox remains unavailable, the over 47% drop on Steam strongly suggests that the combination of hacking and server issues is driving players away.