A new Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 update has added a Modern Warfare 4 pre-order button to the recently released PS4 and PS5 ports, drawing criticism from players. Activision brought Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 to modern PlayStation consoles on July 9, introducing its Campaign, Multiplayer, and Zombies modes to a newly active audience more than a decade after launch.
Treyarch and Iron Galaxy have continued supporting the Black Ops 1 and 2 ports since their release, making new updates noteworthy for players still dealing with technical and security concerns they keep encountering. Recent patches include additional security changes, a Depth of Field toggle for Custom Games, and various bug fixes, showing that work on the Black Ops 2 multiplayer experience is ongoing and that the studios are listening to player feedback. However, community discussions have continued to include complaints about cheating and other multiplayer frustrations, setting the stage for a less enthusiastic response when players discovered what had appeared in the game's menu in the latest patch.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Update Adds Modern Warfare 4 Pre-Order Button
Following Black Ops 2's latest Version 1.008 update for PS5 and 1.08 on PS4, players have noticed a new "Pre-Order MW4" option sitting directly in the game's multiplayer main menu alongside the standard Play Online, LAN Party, Local, Options, and Store buttons. Screenshots shared on Twitter by CharlieIntel show the promotion prominently displayed at the bottom of the menu. This update's timing is understandably deliberate, as Modern Warfare 4 begins its pre-order Early Access beta on August 21, followed by an open beta beginning August 28. However, the change is drawing criticism from players who question Treyarch and Iron Galaxy's current priorities for these ports.
Image via Activision
Image via Activision, Treyarch
Some Black Ops 2 players have responded negatively to the new ad, particularly those who believe security and cheating problems should get more attention. Reddit commenters criticized the optics of adding a pre-order promotion while users are still reporting encounters with suspicious or modified accounts, while others simply mocked the idea of seeing an advertisement for a 2026 game inside a title originally released 14 years earlier. Others have pointed out the oddity of displaying the pre-order option in the PS4 version of Black Ops 2 when PS4 owners cannot actually play Modern Warfare 4 on that console. Overall, the reaction to the Black Ops 2 update isn't universally hostile, but the promotion has clearly become the most visible and controversial change in the community.
Advertising a new Call of Duty inside another entry is hardly unprecedented, and some fans responding to the controversy have pointed out that Activision has used similar cross-promotions for years. What makes this instance particularly bothersome to fans is that it uses the age and recent success of the game to advertise Modern Warfare 4 pre-orders. Black Ops 2 was the most-downloaded PS5 and PS4 title across both major PlayStation regions in July, giving Activision a newly active audience of Call of Duty players immediately before MW4's beta. From a marketing perspective, placing the promotion there is fairly predictable. However, fans who have enjoyed a less live-service-heavy Call of Duty experience haven't taken to it kindly.
The pre-order button does little to change the actual Black Ops 2 experience, but the reaction shows how marketing can land differently when players believe more pressing concerns remain unresolved. The port's chart-topping debut shows strong demand for classic Call of Duty games on modern consoles, and that success naturally raises expectations that the studios involved will keep supporting their multiplayer components. Promoting the franchise's newest release to such a large audience makes business sense, but until remaining complaints surrounding Black Ops 2 are addressed, promotional additions risk reminding some players what they would rather see updated instead.
- Released
- November 13, 2012
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Treyarch
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
- Engine
- iw
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- FPS
