There are a few rules everyone agrees are best for the health of any online multiplayer game. Chief among those rules is keeping the game free and clear of cheaters, something that Activision tries its merry best for Call of Duty: Warzone. However, what do you do when it’s the publisher that seems to be throwing in cheats for those who have the money to pay for them?
That appears to be the case for Warzone's extraction shooter DMZ mode. Activision and Infinity Ward have been struggling to find the right balance for DMZ, and their latest plan is to add new cosmetics that provide owners with distinct advantages over non-owners.
Datamines of the recent patch reveal four cosmetic bundles that will provide real, tangible benefits just for purchasing them. The Dark Rituals II bundle will provide owners with a free self-revive, the Classic Ghost Pack provides a free two-plate armor vest on spawn, the Roze and Thorn pack provides you with a free UAV, and the Bomb Squad pack provides you with a free medium backpack. Several weapon Blueprints in all four bundles will also provide you with a 15-minute cooldown, meaning you never have to worry about losing them.
DMZ does allow players to "insure" their own weapons, but typically the cooldown is measured in hours rather than minutes. And nobody starts with two-plate armor, a medium backpack, a UAV, or a self-revive. Of all these cosmetics, fans are calling out the free UAV as the worst of them, with some even threatening to quit the game entirely if it releases.
Fans have rioted over these bundles, calling them "unfair" and "blatantly pay-to-win." Some are calling DMZ "dead" following the leak, while others are asking the players to avoid purchasing these bundles for the health of DMZ. Still others are asking Activision to reconsider these pay-to-win bundles.
"I strongly urge the decision makers for DMZ to reconsider these decisions because you’re hurting the integrity of the game with these additions," wrote YouTuber Westie. "Sell all the cosmetics you want. Just don’t give people advantages for spending money. This is blatant pay-to-win."
The datamined bundles aren't yet available in-game, but they will be soon. The Classic Ghost Pack already has a release date of April 22, according to the files, and the Dark Rituals II pack will arrive on May 22. These could be placeholder dates, but fans think that these bundles will drop one by one for the next several months.