The players of Call of Duty are annoyed because a bundle introduced a new kind of pay-to-win mechanic into the game.
What is this bundle? In Call of Duty: Warzone and Black Ops 6, you can now purchase a new bundle called “Cardboard Commando” for 2,400 CP (about 20 €).
The bundle includes the “Cardboard Robo” operator skin for Bayan, 2 weapon blueprints, and an emote titled “Surprise Gift.” When you perform the new emote, the character slips into a cardboard box and hides in it for a few seconds.
“Maybe the worst P2W cosmetic I’ve ever seen”
What are players saying? The Call of Duty community has a major criticism of the bundle: the new emote reeks of pay-to-win. Players are convinced that hiding in a box provides an unfair advantage—even if the emote only lasts a few seconds.
Here are some reactions from players:
- Viper 2099x: “Literally ‘Pay to Win’ […], now I have to watch out for Solid Snake in Warzone.” – via X
- JointheKraize: “Normally I mock the community’s obsession with calling things ‘Pay to Win,’ but in this case, it actually is (you can already find clips of people getting kills in WZ because of it).” – via X
- TheXanaGuy: “This might be the worst P2W cosmetic I’ve ever seen.” – via X
- ottawamillright: “I won some games in ‘Search and Destroy’ because of it, and it’s hilarious.” – via X
However, some players argue that the emote doesn’t provide any advantage. The box is large and conspicuous. Plus, you can only hide in it for a few seconds. It might only work against inexperienced players.
Is it an advantage or not? Depending on the situation, it could provide a slight advantage. If you hide in the correct spot on the large Warzone map Verdansk—meaning not in the middle of the forest—at the right moment in the box, an enemy might overlook you. They would then be vulnerable to sneaky shots from the back.
However, whether this will happen regularly is questionable. But with the emote, you at least have a gameplay mechanic that only players with the bundle can own and use.
With cosmetic pay-to-win content, Call of Duty is now well-acquainted. Recently, they revamped a notorious skin because it was way too hard to see—but not much has changed: Call of Duty nerfs a skin that all players hate, but tryhards still use
