Everyone, including regulatory bodies all over the world, knows that Microsoft already owns Activision Blizzard, and by extension, Call of Duty. But, that probably doesn’t mean that it should be obnoxious about it, which is what it’s doing on the Xbox.
The multi-trillion tech giant finds itself at the center of controversy following an overly aggressive advertising campaign for the newly released FPS shooter, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
As users booted up their Xbox consoles, they found themselves met with a surprising and unwelcome sight in the form of a full-screen advertisement prompting them to preorder the latest Call of Duty entry. This bold marketing maneuver comes on the heels of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the publisher behind the best-selling first-person shooter franchise. While such promotional tactics aren’t entirely new to the platform – previously seen with exclusives like Starfield and Forza Motorsport – the degree of intrusion has gone from bad to worse, much to the chagrin of the relatively small Xbox player base.
After booting my SX this happens:
byu/El3ktroHexe inXboxSeriesX
The advertisement, which dominates the Xbox start screen, offers players early access to Modern Warfare III’s campaign upon preordering. However, the catch is the game’s official release isn’t until November 10, rendering the ad premature for many. The aggressive marketing approach has raised questions about the balance between advertising and user experience, especially considering the financial investment consumers make in gaming consoles.
Moreover, this isn’t an isolated incident of advertising overreach by Microsoft. Windows users have long grappled with ads and pop-ups, even after tailoring settings to minimize such disturbances. The frustration is evident among users who feel their paid devices are not entirely within their control.
The situation begs the question of whether the marketing strategies for Call of Duty will continue to worsen as its new owners, Microsoft, exercises more control over Activision Blizzard. The previous owner, Activision, operated under very different strategic objectives and shareholder expectations. While Phil Spencer promises parity across all platforms, this is a different story. As long as it makes financial sense, Microsoft might even drop the annual release cycle for Call of Duty, a rare fixture in the gaming industry.
Going back to the original dilemma, this marketing ploy on the Xbox dashboard hasn’t gone well. Despite the business model’s reliance on software and service sales over hardware, subscription fees for services like Xbox Game Pass should offset if not completely eliminate such ads. While they subsidize the platform, the balance is tipping unfavorably toward corporate interests at the expense of the user experience. The intrusive nature of these ads has Xbox players spreading their discontent all over the internet.
Xbox owners have thrown words like “tacky” and “invasive” into the mix. Sure, you could always just press a button to dismiss the ad, but that isn’t the point. The principle here is the intrusive marketing. As long as everyone keeps silent, Microsoft has no incentive to listen. It will only continue to push through advertising boundaries for as long as there’s little to no consumer pushback.
In comparison, the PlayStation 4 and 5 suffers from zero forced advertisements with a much cleaner user interface. The cleaner, more streamlined experience on competing consoles accentuates the clunkiness and ad-heavy nature of the Xbox interface.
The discontent stems from a broader trend of ad integration across Microsoft’s product line. Windows 10 and 11 have been criticized for intrusive ads and unsolicited software recommendations, despite their premium price tags. This has led to wider discussions about consumer rights and expectations in an age where ads permeate even the most expensive digital spaces.
As calls for action intensify, it remains to be seen how Microsoft will respond to the backlash and whether this will lead to a reevaluation of advertising strategies in the gaming industry. What’s clear here is that the threshold for acceptable advertising is being tested, and the response from companies like Microsoft will set a precedent for the future of digital marketing and user experience.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is already available to play at the moment for those pre-ordered a digital copy. But, the early access launch hasn’t gone smoothly. There’s mounting evidence that the game was originally meant to be DLC for Modern Warfare 2. To make matters worse, Modern Warfare 3 is the largest Call of Duty game to date, taking up over 250GB in storage space – and counting.
