In the latest update to the game, it seems that someone at Activision or Treyarch enabled the option that forces a yellow exclamation mark next to their in-game Calling Card if they don’t own the season pass. The Black Ops Pass costs a hefty $49.99 USD and this is coupled with a game that has various versions starting at $59.99 and upwards. The Reddit thread for the game has become very vocal about the update and none are pleased with the change.
If You Don’t Own The Call of Duty Black Ops 4 Season Pass – The New Update Will Rub It In Your Face
There is a reddit thread that is currently Hot in the subreddit for Black Ops 4. It currently sits at 1.6k Upvotes as of writing this, and it seems that while Activision’s intentions were meant to divide the community, it made them come together and lambast the shady practice from the publisher.
The Yellow Triangle – Wear it With Shame? Or Pride!
The Yellow Triangle next to users names signifies players who are without the season pass, and if they are in the lobby, players with the season pass can’t play their DLC maps. Outside of reddit, this can prove to be problematic for players as players without the season pass now have a permanent blemish on their name which they didn’t ask for, and get messages from season pass owners telling them how their inability to owning the season pass is ruining the game for people who bought the pass.
This is pointed out by Reddit User JayOutlawz24
The update today put them in the regular rotation. This is their way of saying “The maps are there, but you can’t play them because of the players with the exclamation points”… Which will lead to a-holes sending hate messages because they still can’t play the DLC maps and I just feel it’s pretty crappy. To be honest, the non pass holders seem like the smart ones imo and again, I paid for the pass. I think you’re onto something when you say bullying tactic because that’s exactly what it seems like. “Can’t play? Take it out on these people”… It’s a new low
While many players will see the yellow triangle as a mark of shame, the community on reddit and even twitter are talking about just how unpopular the season pass is and this just hits the nail on the head of the argument.
No other game has a similar draconian approach to separating player bases in paid video games or even free to play games, so this is a new low for Activision.
Whoever at Activision thought this would be a good idea should be made to work on the mobile games division and rethink their life choices.
What are your thoughts on the yellow badge of shame? Let us know in the comments section below.