Call Of Duty: 9 Biggest Mistakes Activision Want You To Forget

6. Gating A Season Pass Behind A Special Edition

Activision made a lot of bad moves with Black Ops 4, but one of the first that really kicked up a stink concerned the Season Pass. By this point, the idea of a Season Pass at all was something most publishers had moved away from, as players complained that it split the community and wasn't viable when releases like Rainbow Six: Siege were providing a model for giving players free content while still making money.

However, Activision's attempt to not 'split the community' was used as a disguised way to sell expansion packs through the Season Pass.

Unlike in other games, you could no longer buy DLC separately, as it was now all locked behind one bulk purchase. Of course, Activision couldn't help itself, and pushed this idea one step further, initially locking the purchase of said Season Pass behind the special edition of the sequel.

Originally, the FAQ page made it clear that this expansion wouldn't be sold separately, but after enough backlash they changed their tune, and announced that it wouldn't be held hostage behind a more expensive edition of the game.

My tinfoil hat theory is that they never had any intention of bundling it with the more expensive version, but by doing that and then "solving" the problem, the company could divert attention from making the Season Pass mandatory at all.