New Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2 PS5 update turns the ports into Modern Warfare 4 ads
A recent PS5 update for the ports of Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops 2 has reportedly added prominent in-game advertising for the forthcoming Modern Warfare 4. The change has drawn criticism because it places promotion for a newer title inside paid re-releases of much older games, raising concerns about advertising being added after purchase.
Players say the adverts appear on the games’ menus and direct attention towards Modern Warfare 4. Black Ops was originally released in 2010 and Black Ops 2 in 2012, so the update affects legacy titles now playable on PS5 rather than newly launched games.
- PS5 Black Ops ports now display Modern Warfare 4 advertising.
- Players object to adverts added to older paid games.
- The affected games originally launched in 2010 and 2012.
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Call of Duty is a long-running series of military-themed video games published by Activision. Black Ops and Black Ops 2 are older entries first released in 2010 and 2012, and their PS5 ports let players run them on Sony’s newer console.
Modern Warfare is another branch of the series, with a forthcoming game known as Modern Warfare 4. The reported adverts matter because the Black Ops ports are paid games: players may expect an update to maintain or improve them, while promotion for a separate release can raise questions about advertising added after purchase.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Publishers maintain legitimate business interests in promoting their franchise and directing players towards better-supported titles, particularly given that digital products require ongoing investment and players hold licences rather than permanent ownership. Promotional menu content is relatively unobtrusive compared to in-gameplay advertising, and such cross-promotion has become standard industry practice for maintaining legacy titles whilst supporting new releases.
The case against
Players purchased these games expecting a defined product; retroactively adding advertising transforms paid purchases into promotional vehicles without consent, which undermines consumer protections in the digital games market. This practice represents a meaningful post-sale change and establishes a troubling precedent where publishers can indefinitely modify purchased products to extract additional marketing value, regardless of players' original expectations.