The latest free Call of Duty DLC for PlayStation Plus users combines two paid store bundles, and some gamers are calling foul on Activision for it.
The PlayStation Plus Pack for season two of Black Ops 6 contains 15 items, and it appears that all of those items were previously part of two different paid bundles on the store called Blood Letting and Jungle Trooper, which were added to the shop some time after launch in late 2024.
Between the two bundles, the free PS Plus pack has two operator skins, three weapon blueprints, two emotes, one weapon charm, one reticle, one emblem, a loading screen, two weapon stickers, and two double XP tokens. It’s a pretty solid deal, especially considering both bundles are still on the store for a combined 2,900 CoD Points (about $30) between them. And that’s where the issue may lie.
One CoD player, incensed by the revelation that the free pack contains formerly paid ones, called it “by far the scummiest thing Activision have ever done” in a recent Reddit thread, but not many were quick to agree.
“How can you sell two bundles like these for free after selling them for CoD Points first for an entire season and always promoting them on the store page?” the original poster asked. We’re guessing they weren’t counting on some of the answers.
“Do you lose your shit when stores like Epic Games give away games for free after you had previously bought it?” one reply questioned.
I’m sure that seeing others disagree with your sentiment won’t make it sting any less, but it’s true that this has been a common business practice in the gaming industry for years now where previously paid items become free down the line. It’s just tough to remember many that became free so quickly and only for one platform.
“Honestly, who gives a shit?” they said. “Paid stuff becomes free all the time. Destiny 2 became free to play a month after I bought the game. I didn’t go around making salty Reddit posts about it.”
Truthfully, I can understand where both sides are coming from in this argument. But it is interesting that PS Plus packs are back in the store, as it’s a way for Activision to work its way around the “no more platform-exclusive content” rule under its new owner, Microsoft. The content is not exclusive, but the pricetag is—for now.
What would’ve been worse, I think, is if these items were packaged together and sold as a new bundle entirely, at a different price and not cheaper than the two combine for now. But that’s not what’s been done here.
This feels like a good time to remind all gamers that we do not own the digital content we purchase, but we only own the license to use it. And that license can be taken away at any time. With this in mind, it’s smart to be careful with whatever you spend your money on when it comes to microtransactions in games.
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