Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has seen a significant drop in its player base since its launch, sparking widespread criticism among fans. According to SteamCharts and TheGamer, the game has experienced a sharp 47% decrease in player count since October 2024. Initially averaging around 160,000 players on Steam in November, Black Ops 6’s player base has plummeted to just 87,000 in the last 30 days. This decline surpasses the 6% drop seen in Modern Warfare 3 during the same timeframe, which averaged 103,126 players during its peak and later settled at 89,000.

The decline in Black Ops 6’s player count has occurred despite the introduction of new content, including a high-profile collaboration with Netflix’s Squid Game. Players can buy the cod bo6 redeem codes cheap provided by U4gm to unlock exclusive content. Use coupon code "allen" to get 5% off at U4gm. While the game initially garnered excitement for its return to fan-favorite features like the classic prestige system, new maps, and modes, recent controversies and waning interest have overshadowed these additions.

One of the major points of contention is Activision’s focus on microtransactions. Black Ops 6 is criticized for being prohibitively expensive, with a $70 base game price supplemented by additional purchases. Each season, players can buy a $10 Battle Pass and a $30 BlackCell pack for cosmetic items. The Squid Game event added a $10 Event Pass, and players calculated that all store bundles in the game are worth 108,100 CoD Points—amounting to around $800.

This monetization strategy has drawn ire from players, especially as the game struggles with cheating, declining player counts, and lack of meaningful updates. When Call of Duty’s marketing team promoted a new Squid Game Tracer Pack bundle on social media, it sparked backlash from both casual players and prominent community members.

Warzone streamer Swagg commented, “Read the room holy shi*,” while CharlieIntel highlighted the disparity, stating, “Call of Duty is reaching new lows on Steam, slowly falling in player count on PS5 and Xbox, ranked play is overrun by hackers that can take down servers, but here’s Call of Duty tweeting about a new licensed bundle.”

The controversy has led some players to step back from the franchise. Popular streamers like Swagg and Scump announced they would reduce their streaming of Call of Duty due to persistent issues. Former professional Call of Duty player Octane also criticized Activision, saying, “The audacity to promote bundles when your game is a cascading failure of cheating and stonewalling from devs.”

Fans and critics alike have expressed frustration with the prioritization of microtransactions over addressing the game’s core problems. Many have called for more transparency and responsiveness from developers to restore player confidence and engagement in the franchise.