Modern Warfare 2’s “pay to win” BlackCell Battle Pass skin has players divided
ActivisionModern Warfare 2 Season 4 brought a brand-new BlackCell Battle Pass, featuring the exclusive Io Operator. However, fans are divided on the new Operator, with many calling her unique color change effect “pay to lose.”
The Modern Warfare 2 Season 4 update brought plenty of fresh content for multiplayer fans to enjoy, from extra 6v6 maps to weapons like the Tempus Razorback and ISO 45. It also added a new Battle Pass to grind through, offering a ton of different unlocks.
Season 4 also marked the second BlackCell Battle Pass, rewarding those who upgrade with unique Operator skins, Weapon Blueprints, and more. Among the BlackCell rewards for Season 4 is the new Io Operator, who comes with a unique color change mechanic that sees her change from white to black depending on whether she is standing still or running.
However, the color change feature has divided players, with some claiming the skin is “pay to win,” while others feel it leaves them at a disadvantage.
The debate began when Reddit user ‘BlueStarBRS’ shared a clip of the skin action, claiming it “NEEDS a fix” in a future update. The video showed how Io could easily become camouflaged mid-fight after changing color, causing frustrations for both enemies and teammates.
Fans were quick to criticize the BlackCell reward, with ‘irredeemable_red’ simply replying: “Welcome to the pay-to-win era of cod.”
Meanwhile, others believed that Io’s color change feature, especially the bright white when she is static, actually makes her easier to spot for enemy players in Modern Warfare 2.
“It’s not advantageous, it’s a huge disadvantage IMO. You stick out like a sore thumb when your ADS walking or standing still,” argued one player, while another agreed it was “more like pay to lose.”
While plenty of players called for the feature to be removed altogether, some wanted the option to choose whether or not they want these kinds of effects on skins to be visible
‘Pruse’ replied saying: “Honestly wish they just included an option to turn special fx for weapons and skins ON/OFF. Some of the skins actually look cool, but the animations just put me off.”
Only time will tell if the devs decide to tweak the Io Operator in a future patch following the backlash. The next major update is Modern Warfare 2 Season 4 Reloaded, which is also set to bring the Vondel Waterfront map and the final Raid chapter.
