Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 introduces new microtransactions, once again drawing the anger of many fans. The focus of the criticism: a new melee weapon. What’s going on?
This is the weapon in question: Recently, Black Ops 4 received update 1.16. As part of this update, there were numerous changes for Blackout, a new Zombies experience, and the Barebones mode for multiplayer, where there are no specialists.
A new melee weapon was also introduced – the shotgun-shell-loaded Hammer “Home Wrecker”, which had been leaked some time ago. This can be used in Blackout and in the traditional multiplayer mode and was recently prominently introduced by Treyarch as a weapon that would turn your enemies into bloody pulp.
Many fans were excited and looking forward to the weapon. However, there is unfortunately a catch.
How to get this new melee weapon? The weapon is now in the game, but it can only be obtained from one source – the Triple Play Bundle in the Black Market. And this bundle comes at a hefty price: 2,800 CoD points or equivalently 28€.
While the bundle contains other items, anyone who wants the weapon will have to pay the full price. For many fans who just wanted the Hammer, this is a bitter disappointment.
The Triple Play Bundle includes
- the Hammer
- a weapon crate with a guaranteed MKII weapon from the reserves
- 10 reserve crates
- 10 ranks (rank-ups)
This is what the fans say: Community reactions on Reddit are quite pronounced. The discussion platform is full of posts where fans vent about the “30$ Hammer” or make jokes about it. The business policy including microtransactions has been under fire for quite some time. This new bundle with its exclusive weapon is currently just adding fuel to the fire.
Many fans emphasize that Black Ops 4 now has more and even worse microtransactions than most free-to-play games. And this, mind you, as a full-price title with a paid season pass.
Binding a weapon, for many the highlight of the package, to a $30 bundle only underscores this. Some players point out that this is now half the price of Black Ops 4 itself. Even a real hammer would be cheaper, some humorously noted.
In short: In the eyes of many fans, Black Ops 4 has made another absolute no-go with the $30 Hammer. It will be interesting to see if or how Treyarch responds to the massive criticism. So far, there has been no reaction from the developers.
Co-founder of “Call of Duty” developer Sledgehammer Games, Michael Condrey, has also commented on this matter. He specifically addressed the Triple Play Bundle on Twitter.
$30 for a melee weapon? That would never have happened under his leadership, Condrey said. For his clear stance, he received a lot of support from fans.
In short: In the eyes of many fans, Black Ops 4 has made another absolute no-go with the $30 Hammer. It will be interesting to see if or how Treyarch responds to the massive criticism. So far, there has been no reaction from the developers.
