Data mine sparks pay-to-win fears in Call of Duty WWII as real-world currency goes live

Call of Duty WWII has flown somewhat under the radar during this crackdown on loot crates and microtransactions, probably because the game launched without the option for players to pay real money to gamble away on the hidden odds of the loot boxes on the beach. It probably helped too that everything in the crates was cosmetic, assuaging any fears that the game would give an advantage to playing players. Those fears got swayed a bit last night, as both the real-world currency went live and new data mining suggested that weapons and more might be added to loot crates.

Players can now spend upwards of $100 on a new currency to burn on loot crates, which feature the same emotes, cosmetic items and now XP boosts for you to hopefully grab on Normandy beach. That last reward already makes things feel a little weird, but a few data miners escalated fears with a little digging last night. According to some new files in the game, weapons and more might soon be added to loot boxes, which immediately begins the conversation around pay-to-win mechanics.

Battlefront II sparked those discussions this month, with the game integrating its progression system with the random loot crate drops in the game. Call of Duty WWII is less egregious with its implementation, but the delay of real-world purchases in addition to new items in crates seems like a purposefully devious way to secure sales first and hit the controversy later.

If the data mine turns out to be on the money, and Activision does implement more direct gameplay elements in random loot boxes, there’s no doubt that players will make their dissatisfaction known. Belgium is already seeking to get loot boxes in their entirety banned in the EU, so it seems like the wrong time to try and pull this now.

Last Updated: November 23, 2017