Halloween is here and has brought with it numerous limited-time events featuring unique game modes, in-game candy, and plenty of spooky cosmetics in a variety of games. One of the standouts this year isCall of Duty: Warzone, which features a new mode that forces players to manage their sanity during matches as well as adding characters from the classic filmsScreamandDonnie Darko. With players being able to run around as Frank the Rabbit and Ghostface inCall of Duty: Warzonematches, it is hard to not get into the Halloween spirit.
Thenew skins from the Halloween eventhave been very well received by fans, but there is one particular misstep thatCall of Dutyhas made regarding the new cosmetics and the franchise’s future. The misstep stems from the imminent release ofCall of Duty: Vanguardnext month and its inevitable integration with the battle royale that will bring a new map, guns, and Operators along with it. However, its impending release has presented a problem with howCall of Dutyis handling its skins.
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Integrations in Call of Duty: Warzone
Call of Dutyhas positionedWarzoneas the connecting tissue of the franchise moving forward. Since its introduction alongsideModern Warfare,the battle royale has shared a full menu with both that game andBlack Ops Cold War, which sees operators and equipment from both games coalescing into one experience. Obviously, this system has had its hurdles, as the developers at Raven Software had to iron out issues and complications likeBlack Ops Cold War’s guns dominating the meta for months after the integration. WithCall of Duty: Vanguard’s integration on the horizon, many players have started thinking about what the game may look like with the addition of World War 2-themed content.
While players are worried about the game’s future balance and wellbeing, many are also concerned about not being able to access all of their cosmetics in newer releases. Having all three games in one place is great for players who want to do a round of battle royale, play some Search and Destroy inModern Warfare, and then close out the night with a round or two ofzombies inBlack Ops Cold War. While the integration of the games does package all of the titles in a neat and accessible package, it does create some complications with the cosmetics players have earned, especially when it comes to Operator skins.
Operator Skins in Call of Duty
Players know to expect that they can’t use a camo for a gun inBlack Ops Cold WarinModern Warfareif the gun is not present in both titles, but Operator skins are a bit less transparent. A limited-time event skin like Ghostface is not tied to any particular title, so it would make sense if players were able to use it across any of the interwoven games, but it can only be used inWarzoneandBlack Ops Cold War. This is especially disappointing, as Operators have become a pretty big deal inCall of Duty, with each one having their own personality and backstory built into it for players to choose from. Many come in the form ofDLC that players paid real money for, further complicating things.
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This issue has led to many players worrying thatWarzoneis starting to replace the mainCall of Dutytitles, as it seems that series publisher Activision is pushing players to focus more and more on the free-to-play battle royale and the various microtransactions and battle passes that it sells to players. This is particularly worrying for fans who prefer to play the series' tentpole multiplayer orZombies modes, or who just simply don’t like the battle royale gameplay and would prefer to just enjoy their mainline titles. The problem of players being pushed towards those purchases is made worse not only by how the skins work currently, but how they will in the future as well, which has been perfectly highlighted by the recent Ghostface skin.
The Missed Opportunity With Warzone’s Ghostface Skin
Ghostface is only available for purchase inCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold WarandWarzoneduring the Halloween event that runs from October 19 to November 2. The skin is also part of a bundle that comes with a handful of associated cosmetics for $20. The price is in line with other cosmetic packs inCall of Dutytitles, but the issue mostly comes from the skin’s timing.Call of Duty: Vanguardreleases on November 5, meaning that fans could purchase the Ghostface skin just three days before the new title’s release and then not be able to use it in the newest game in the series.Vanguardwill have its own Operatorsand players will be able to keep using it inWarzone, of course, but it seems strange that the skin doesn’t carry over to the newer title when it is available so close to the new game’s launch.
This makes purchasing the skin a hard sell, as it is especially disappointing for players who aren’t interested inWarzoneand those who don’t want to spend $20 on a skin that they can only use for a month before making the jump over toVanguard. It seems that the current formula will be howCall of Dutyoperates into the foreseeable future, but gating skins into each game could very well make fans feel as though they aren’t worth the money as they will be largely unusable after less than a year. With the incrediblevariety of skins acrossCall of Duty,it would be fantastic to see more of them transfer to newer games, even if it is just the ones released in the few months leading up to the newer title.
Call of Duty: Warzoneis available now on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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