Jim Sterling Rips ‘Black Ops IIII’ Apart for Exploitative Pricing

Black Ops IIII is in the hot-seat. If you’ve ever seen an episode of The Jimquisition, then you know that you’re in for some really rough language. If you’ve never seen The Jimquisition, then Warning: There is some really foul language in the video above, which is also soul-crushingly cynical, and makes no apologies for tearing to shreds a game that you’re likely very excited to play. In this episode, Sterling is taking on Call of Duty: Black Ops III.

Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII is making its way to consoles and PC on October 12, and while reception and anticipation has been largely positive, there are a few serious issues upon which Sterling shines a glaring, revealing spotlight. The primary issue? Exploitative pricing.

Black Ops IIII won’t be the first game you guys have played or even pre-ordered, so you know exactly what you’re getting into. The base, $60 package is not in fact the full Black Ops IIII experience, and if you want all of the maps and modes that your contemporaries will be enjoying over the course of this game’s roughly-one-year lifespan, you’re going to have to dish out for the season pass.

While that’s not unheard of, it’s notable that Black Ops IIII‘s season pass was originally planned to be exclusively acquired by purchasing one of the deluxe editions of the game, meaning that it would not be available to purchase and download separately. After swift and unrelenting backlash, Treyarch backpedaled a bit, assuring players in its FAQ that the pass would “be available as a standalone offering at a later date.”

Very likely this means that they’re taking the same approach as they did with Modern Warfare Remastered, which originally could only be obtained by purchasing the deluxe version of Infinite Warfare. At the time Activision insisted that this would be the only way to get the game. Now, we can find it as a standalone product.

Of course, the issue then is that all of the extra maps that were released for Modern Warfare, you know, things you would expect to be included in a remaster, were sold back to loyal fans separately for a hefty fee. Additionally, loot boxes and microtransactions were added to the game as well, shifting the meta entirely.

Sterling sees Activision taking the same approach with Black Ops IIII, and is understandably spiteful.

But what do you think? Have you pre-ordered Black Ops IIII and, if so, did you dish out for one of the deluxe or enhanced editions? Do you take issue with the way that Activision monetizes its games, or or is this simply par the course in 2018? Let us know in the comments below!