A new free bundle for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2.0 combines the first-person shooter with the popular platforming franchise Crash Bandicoot. A number of the most iconic Crash Bandicoot characters are now available in Call of Duty for as long as the bundle is around.The spinning goofball platformer Crash Bandicoot likely isn't the first thing people think of when it comes to games that Call of Duty franchise might collaborate with. That isn't going to stop the two games from coming together, though, in what is the latest in a string of strange crossovers with Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2.0. Another recent crossover between Call of Duty and the NBA saw legendary basketball player Kevin Durant added as an operator. Now, Naughty Dog's platforming wombat is joining in, and it's available for free.The free bundle received a quiet launch on both Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2.0 very recently. Browsing through the bundle reveals six different items that players can receive completely without charge for a limited time. Five of the items are weapon stickers and one is a weapon charm. Crash's heroic and wise mask Aku Aku gets the pleasure of being the weapon charm that can now dangle as an accessory from any gun in the game, while Crash himself, along with Coco, Dingodile, Cortex, and Tawna are all weapon stickers. This bundle comes in the lead-up to the release of Crash Team Rumble, the newest game in the franchise.
Many of these recent collaborations in the newest Call of Duty games could be considered the "Fortnite Effect," in which the success of the wide variety of characters and franchises in Fortnite is mimicked by other major titles. Call of Duty has been doing a lot more of this in recent years, with collaborations adding iconic characters like Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre and even Frank the Rabbit from Donnie Darko.
Call of Duty isn't the only franchise doing this of course. The popular free-to-play MOBA Smite has also been doing a number of collaborations in recent years, adding skins from franchises like Avatar: The Last Airbender and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It's very likely that similar crossovers will continue into the future as Epic's battle royale remains one of the most popular games in the industry, so popular in fact that Fortnite is even going to the Olympics. If the trend results in Crash Bandicoot making an appearance in even more games, it's unlikely many fans will be complaining about it.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2.0 are out now for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S.
