Halloween is here and has brought with it numerous limited-time events featuring unique game modes, in-game candy, and plenty of spooky cosmetics in a variety of games. One of the standouts this year is Call of Duty: Warzone, which features a new mode that forces players to manage their sanity during matches as well as adding characters from the classic films Scream and Donnie Darko. With players being able to run around as Frank the Rabbit and Ghostface in Call of Duty: Warzone matches, it is hard to not get into the Halloween spirit.

The new skins from the Halloween event have been very well received by fans, but there is one particular misstep that Call of Duty has made regarding the new cosmetics and the franchise's future. The misstep stems from the imminent release of Call of Duty: Vanguard next month and its inevitable integration with the battle royale that will bring a new map, guns, and Operators along with it. However, its impending release has presented a problem with how Call of Duty is handling its skins.

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Integrations in Call of Duty: Warzone

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Call of Duty has positioned Warzone as the connecting tissue of the franchise moving forward. Since its introduction alongside Modern Warfare, the battle royale has shared a full menu with both that game and Black Ops Cold War, which sees operators and equipment from both games coalescing into one experience. Obviously, this system has had its hurdles, as the developers at Raven Software had to iron out issues and complications like Black Ops Cold War's guns dominating the meta for months after the integration. With Call of Duty: Vanguard's integration on the horizon, many players have started thinking about what the game may look like with the addition of World War 2-themed content.

While players are worried about the game's future balance and wellbeing, many are also concerned about not being able to access all of their cosmetics in newer releases. Having all three games in one place is great for players who want to do a round of battle royale, play some Search and Destroy in Modern Warfare, and then close out the night with a round or two of zombies in Black Ops Cold War. While the integration of the games does package all of the titles in a neat and accessible package, it does create some complications with the cosmetics players have earned, especially when it comes to Operator skins.

Operator Skins in Call of Duty

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Players know to expect that they can't use a camo for a gun in Black Ops Cold War in Modern Warfare if the gun is not present in both titles, but Operator skins are a bit less transparent. A limited-time event skin like Ghostface is not tied to any particular title, so it would make sense if players were able to use it across any of the interwoven games, but it can only be used in Warzone and Black Ops Cold War. This is especially disappointing, as Operators have become a pretty big deal in Call of Duty, with each one having their own personality and backstory built into it for players to choose from. Many come in the form of DLC that players paid real money for, further complicating things.

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This issue has led to many players worrying that Warzone is starting to replace the main Call of Duty titles, as it seems that series publisher Activision is pushing players to focus more and more on the free-to-play battle royale and the various microtransactions and battle passes that it sells to players. This is particularly worrying for fans who prefer to play the series' tentpole multiplayer or Zombies modes, or who just simply don't like the battle royale gameplay and would prefer to just enjoy their mainline titles. The problem of players being pushed towards those purchases is made worse not only by how the skins work currently, but how they will in the future as well, which has been perfectly highlighted by the recent Ghostface skin.

The Missed Opportunity With Warzone's Ghostface Skin

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Ghostface is only available for purchase in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Warzone during the Halloween event that runs from October 19 to November 2. The skin is also part of a bundle that comes with a handful of associated cosmetics for $20. The price is in line with other cosmetic packs in Call of Duty titles, but the issue mostly comes from the skin's timing. Call of Duty: Vanguard releases on November 5, meaning that fans could purchase the Ghostface skin just three days before the new title's release and then not be able to use it in the newest game in the series. Vanguard will have its own Operators and players will be able to keep using it in Warzone, of course, but it seems strange that the skin doesn't carry over to the newer title when it is available so close to the new game's launch.

This makes purchasing the skin a hard sell, as it is especially disappointing for players who aren't interested in Warzone and those who don't want to spend $20 on a skin that they can only use for a month before making the jump over to Vanguard. It seems that the current formula will be how Call of Duty operates into the foreseeable future, but gating skins into each game could very well make fans feel as though they aren't worth the money as they will be largely unusable after less than a year. With the incredible variety of skins across Call of Duty, it would be fantastic to see more of them transfer to newer games, even if it is just the ones released in the few months leading up to the newer title.

Call of Duty: Warzone is available now on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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