Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is certainly a popular title, but it is one that is subjected to huge scrutiny relating to its multiplayer modes for a wide array of reasons. First and foremost, the game is under constant pressure to consistently produce new content to keep its experience fresh, but many of these changes simply open up the title to even more criticism as they are implemented.
Discussion surrounding Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 predictably skyrockets whenever the title releases an in-game season, with this occurring roughly once every two months. Of course, these updates are met relatively well by fans who are eager for more content, although the recent Season 3 of MW2 and Warzone 2 is perhaps its most controversial season to date. Despite possessing a commendable amount of fresh content, the Blackcell battle pass option for the season has been met with huge amounts of criticism from players.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's Season 3 Battle Passes
As is the norm, Season 3 of Modern Warfare 2 comes with its own battle pass, which acts as the core avenue of delivering the season's cosmetic content such as operator skins, weapon camouflages, blueprints, and calling cards. Players can of course unlock a small portion of this content by playing for free, but will have to purchase the full battle pass in order to enjoy a large majority of its offered content.
The battle pass of MW2's Season 3 has been met with some praise, for example in the way that the battle pass surprisingly contains two in-game operators as opposed to the usual franchise norm of one. However, the battle pass has been a larger source of controversy surrounding Season 3, primarily due to the existence of an even higher tier of premium battle pass, known as the Blackcell battle pass.
The Controversy Surrounding MW2's Blackcell Battle Pass
Existing as a different way to experience Season 3's battle pass beyond the usual paid-for full battle pass, the Blackcell pass bills itself as the ultimate premium purchase for Season 3 of Modern Warfare 2. The Blackcell pass cannot be purchased via CoD points, doing away with the benefits of any points earned from previous seasonal battle passes, and is priced at $29.99.
Blackcell gives players full access to battle pass content, while possessing bonuses in the way of tier skips and awarded CoD points. The main allure of the Blackcell pass is that it offers bonus content outside the standard or full battle pass experience, possessing the Blackcell operator which features an animated skin. This operator has twelve unlockable skins in total, typifying the offered content that the Blackcell pass presents to players.
It seems that the main issue that many players have in relation to Blackcell regards the dangerous precedent that it sets for the franchise going forward. Many fans are already uncomfortable simply with the growing reliance on seasonal battle passes that necessitate in-game purchases, but this formula was historically resigned to offering a free version and a paid version which possessed more content.
The Blackcell pass adds an even higher level of in-game purchase that locks more content behind a paywall, with the decision to include this infuriating many players. With this coming at a time where Call of Duty is facing criticism for alleged pay-to-win DMZ bundles, it is clear to see why the Blackcell battle pass for Season 3 of MW2 has stoked the flames of fan-led backlash even further.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
