Key Takeaways
- Backlash for Black Ops 6 due to removals of game modes and customization options after an update.
- Controversy arises with the accusation of an AI-designed loading screen featuring undead Santa Claus.
- Players express frustration over the lack of human touch in AI-generated content and concern for the future.
After one of the best launches in years, the frustrations and controversies have begun to creep in for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
Fans were up in arms following the removal of Stakeout 24/7, frustrated when their loadouts and customization options were deleted after an update, upset when a Double XP weekend seemingly wasn’t giving Double XP, and most recently, were annoyed but not surprised when the XP Boosts players got when forking out for the Blackcell bundles were revealed.
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Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 Season 1 Reloaded Is Making The Camo Grind A Whole Lot Easier
Increased headshot damage and changes to the launcher requirements!?
Now, a different kind of controversy has hit Activision, as the company has been accused of using AI to design an image for one of Season 1 Reloaded’s loading screens.
Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 Is Seemingly Using AI-Created Images
As part of the Merry Mayhem event, coinciding with the new Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Zombies map, Citadel Des Morts, Activision added an updated loading screen to the game featuring an undead version of Santa Claus.
The loading screen, which is unlocked as the second reward in the Season 1 Reloaded festive event, is fine, if not a little generic. But as is always the case with AI, it’s not bulletproof, and it struggles with fingers and hands, which seems to be an issue with this image.
Spotted by a few eagle-eyed Reddit users, including _stnky__, this zombified Father Christmas has an extra digit. Reaching out to grab the camera, the “Necroclaus” can be seen with five fingers and a thumb.
This discovery has, of course, led to frustration within the community, with _stnky__ themselves saying, “This is quite obviously AI. They’re giving us AI slop instead of hiring real cosmetic designers.” Another fan lamented the loss of the human touch, saying, “RIP to our fellow human graphic designers,” with a third adding, “This is unfortunately the future.”
It’s a major concern when a company as big as Activision, which is owned by an even bigger company in Microsoft, is going down the route of AI imagery instead of paying artists for their work.
TheGamer has reached out to Activision for comment.
Forced to go rogue. Hunted from within. This is Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
Developed by Treyarch and Raven, Black Ops 6 is a spy action thriller set in the early 90s, a period of transition and upheaval in global politics, characterized by the end of the Cold War and the rise of the United States as a single superpower. With a mind-bending narrative, and unbound by the rules of engagement, this is signature Black Ops.
The Black Ops 6 Campaign provides dynamic moment-to-moment gameplay that includes a variety of play spaces with blockbuster set pieces and action-packed moments, high-stakes heists, and cloak-and-dagger spy activity.
In a best-in-class Multiplayer experience, players will test their skills across 16 new maps at launch, including 12 core 6v6 maps and 4 Strike maps that can be played 2v2 or 6v6.
Black Ops 6 also marks the epic return of Round-Based Zombies, the fan-favorite mode where players will take down hordes of the undead in two brand-new maps at launch. Post-launch, players can look forward to even more exciting maps and groundbreaking experiences dropping into both Multiplayer and Zombies.