The Call of Duty community is up in arms against publisher Activision, with numerous players alleging that the company is employing deceptive user interface tactics to trick users into pre-ordering the upcoming Black Ops 7. Despite the game's November release still being months away, controversy has surrounded the title since its initial reveal, and now players believe a recent UI update might be intentionally designed to mislead the playerbase into accidentally purchasing the next installment in the popular franchise.

Interestingly, despite not having hands-on experience with Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, many enthusiasts have already formed strong opinions based on the initial trailers. A significant portion of the community has declared their intention to pre-order Battlefield 6 instead, signaling a potential shift in player loyalty. While much of the criticism appears directed at Black Ops 7 specifically, the underlying issue seems to be growing player fatigue with Activision's business approach in recent years. The constant stream of microtransactions, unrealistic store bundles, and endless collaborations have left many fans yearning for a more grounded and authentic Call of Duty experience. The confirmation that the Carry Forward feature will return—allowing players to transfer their Black Ops 6 cosmetics to the new game—suggests another year of cartoonish characters and fantasy-themed weaponry rather than the realistic military aesthetic many long-time fans prefer.

Recent reports from the PlayStation Store indicate that pre-orders for Black Ops 7 are currently being outpaced by those for Battlefield 6, adding context to the community's concerns about potentially deceptive practices. The situation escalated when Reddit user Enigma_Green discovered that the quick join button in Black Ops 6 and Warzone now shares functionality with the pre-order page for Black Ops 7. While additional steps are required to complete an actual purchase, this design choice effectively directs players to the pre-order page without their explicit intention to buy the game.

The gaming community has reacted strongly to this discovery, with Reddit user Icy_Table_8856 describing the practice as Activision's attempt at 'scamming' players, while Regular_Car_9724 called the tactic 'diabolical.' However, some community members believe this might simply result from poor UI design rather than intentional deception. This isn't the first time Call of Duty's interface has drawn criticism, as players have repeatedly requested a return to the cleaner, more straightforward UI designs seen in earlier titles like Modern Warfare 2 and Black Ops 2.

Despite reports suggesting that Black Ops 7's pre-order numbers are struggling on the PlayStation Store, Activision has reportedly expressed confidence in competing with Battlefield 6, stating that the Call of Duty franchise is 'too big to fail.' While this may be true from a commercial perspective, there's no denying that player sentiment appears to be shifting. The latest Black Ops 7 trailer has accumulated nearly 400,000 dislikes, with hundreds of comments explicitly stating intentions to purchase Battlefield 6 instead, indicating significant community dissatisfaction with the direction of the franchise.