Black Ops 6 Crossover is a Controversy Waiting to Happen

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home November 5, 2024 12 Views 8 Min Read
Black Ops 6 Crossover is a Controversy Waiting to Happen



Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 was the first CoD game to be released under Activision-Blizzard’s new owner, Microsoft Gaming, so naturally, there were a lot of eyes on it leading up to its launch. After years of disappointing releases, like 2023’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and 2021’s Call of Duty: Vanguard, many gamers were growing tired of the annual CoD cycle, with some arguing that the series was becoming increasingly half-baked with each installment. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, however, managed to dispel this notion by delivering a complete, well-rounded package at launch. Not only did the game’s campaign receive glowing reviews from critics, but its multiplayer and Zombies modes also garnered similar acclaim.




Black Ops 6 may be one of the highest-rated CoD games of the last 10 years, but it, of course, isn’t perfect. The multiplayer maps in the game are hit-or-miss in terms of quality, the skill-based matchmaking is likely to frustrate many, and the always-online requirement for the singleplayer campaign may dissuade some gamers from playing it. One aspect of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 that may also be the subject of criticism isn’t a gameplay feature, but rather a crossover. CoD games tend to collaborate with all kinds of pop culture franchises, but BO6 is crossing over with the American pizza chain Little Caesars, which could be a controversy waiting to happen.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s Collaboration With Little Caesars Could Cause Controversy


Gamers Who Buy Food at Little Caesars Can Get In-Game Rewards for Black Ops 6

In mid-October, Little Caesars and Activision announced that they were going to host a promotional campaign together to commemorate the then-upcoming launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. From October 21 to November 10, anyone who spends a minimum of $3.00 USD on food or beverages at a participating Little Caesars location in the United States, Canada, or Mexico will obtain a code that will grant them Little Caesars-themed cosmetics to use in BO6. Participants will either receive a unique operator skin, a calling card, an emblem, a charm, or an hour of double XP. All of these prizes are distributed randomly, so there’s no guarantee that players will get the cosmetics that they want.

In Mexico, players will have to spend at least 50 MXN (Mexican pesos) at Little Caesars in order to participate in this
Black Ops 6
promotional campaign. Players in Canada, on the other hand, will have to spend $4.99 CAD (Canadian dollars).


Those who participate in this Little Caesars promotion will also be entered into a draw to receive even more in-game rewards. Players who redeem their Little Caesars codes in Black Ops 6 will get the chance to earn up to 21,000 Call of Duty Points if they win the sweepstakes. That’s more than $200 of in-game currency, so the lucky few participants who do win this prize will certainly get their money’s worth.

Activision Has Collaborated With Little Caesars in the Past

This Little Caesars and Call of Duty promotional event isn’t anything new. For the last couple of years, the American pizza chain has partnered up with Activision to give in-game rewards to CoD players who purchase products at select Little Caesars restaurants. In 2023, for instance, the two companies added a Little Caesars operator skin and some other cosmetics to CoD: Modern Warfare 3. This year, however, they’re taking this partnership a step further by outright putting a Little Caesars storefront inside an early level in CoD: Black Ops 6‘s campaign.


The Little Caesars Ad in Black Ops 6’s Campaign May Be Immersion-Breaking for Some

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a $70 title, and it’s filled to the brim with microtransactions, so Activision inserting what is effectively a Little Caesars advertisement into the game’s campaign is likely to receive pushback from some portions of the CoD community. Seeing players run around with Little Caesars skins in a multiplayer match is one thing, but encountering a large Little Caesars sign during a mission from a singleplayer, narrative-driven CoD campaign is another. Explicit brand placement can be immersion-breaking for some gamers, no matter how small. While it’s unlikely that Activision will change its ways, it would be great if the company avoids repeating what it has done with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and stops putting ads in CoD campaigns going forward.

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