CoD players blast Squid Game collab skin prices as “insane money grab”
Activision / NetflixBlack Ops 6 & Warzone players aren’t thrilled with the full costs of the Squid Game collab, slamming the crossover as nothing more than a “money grab.”
Squid Game Season 2 has been breaking records for Netflix as the highly-anticipated follow-up delivers more heart-pounding games and shocking storyline twists. To get it in front of many millions, Netflix ramped up its marketing approach, securing collabs with everything from McDonald’s to Duolingo.
Everywhere you look, Squid Game is there, and the gaming industry is no different. Topping the bill in the medium is a crossover with Call of Duty, Acitivision’s massively popular FPS series.
While there are free benefits, like a dedicated Red Light, Green Light mode, along with some powerful killstreaks, much of the collab’s content is locked behind a paywall. However, separated across four distinct bundles, the collective price has left many up in arms before the cosmetics even go live.
Activision Full Squid Game x CoD collab costs more than a new release
As Activision previously revealed, the Squid Game crossover comes with its own Event Pass rewards track. As you play, you can unlock a number of free rewards. However, to get everything on offer, including the sought-after Front Man skin, you’ll need to fork out for the Premium Track.
This alone was met with its own wave of backlash, as the 1,100 CoD Point price tag was criticized given there’s fewer rewards available than a standard Battle Pass.
Alongside this Premium Event Pass comes three separate Squid Game-themed bundles. There are no a la carte options, instead, you have to purchase these bundles in full. Below is a quick breakdown of the costs:
- Pink Guards Tracer Pack Bundle: 2,800 CoD Points
- The VIPs Tracer Pack Bundle: 2,400 CoD Points
- Young-Hee Tracer Pack Bundle: 2,400 CoD Points
- Premium Event Pass: 1,100 CoD Points.
In total, should you want to unlock everything in the collab, you’re looking at 8,700 CoD Points, roughly the equivalent of $87 USD.
For many, this price tag, more than that of a full CoD game, is a bridge too far. “No thanks, I’ll just save my $87 for the next Call of Duty,” as one player put it.
“This is an insane money grab for an insanely broken game,” another chimed in.
“Activision is clearly money hungry,” one player said. “They spend all this time working on bundles and crap cosmetics instead of actually improving the game.”
Some even went as far as to label CoD a “scam” given the current litany of issues plaguing the series. Hackers have been running rampant across Black Ops 6 and Warzone for the past few weeks, driving many of the game’s top content creators away.
Thousands more players have been fleeing the title too as its health begins to deteriorate. Despite it all, the new Squid Game bundles are set to go live imminently.