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Contents15
  1. Consumer-impact summary
  2. Incidents
  3. Starcraft II not including LAN play (2009)
  4. Diablo III Always-On DRM (2011) and Error 37 (2012)
  5. Removing access to MWII(2022) and MWIII(2023) through the Call of Duty HQ (2025)
  6. Overwatch 2 and PvE (2024)
  7. Account lock and forced arbitration (2024)
  8. Termination of Blizzard's contract with NetEase (2023)
  9. Call of Duty selling AI-generated content (2024 & 2025)
  10. H2M mod bait and switch (2024)
  11. Micro-transaction (MTX) overload
  12. Products and franchises
  13. Patents
  14. See also
  15. References
Activision Blizzard
Basic information
Founded 2008-07-09
Legal Structure Public
Industry Video game publishing, Video game development
Also known as ABK, Acti-Blizz
Official website https://activisionblizzard.com

Activision Blizzard, Inc., often referred to as ABK (Activision-Blizzard-King), or Acti-Blizz, is an American video-game holding company. On 13 October 2023, Microsoft acquired ABK for $68.7 billion.

Activision Blizzard currently includes five business units:

  • Activision Publishing
  • Blizzard Entertainment
  • King
  • Major League Gaming
  • Activision Blizzard Studios

Consumer-impact summary

Overview of concerns that arise from the conduct towards users of the product (if applicable):

  • User Freedom
  • User Privacy
  • Business Model
  • Market Control

Add your text below this box. Once this section is complete, delete this box by clicking on it and pressing backspace.


Incidents

Starcraft II not including LAN play (2009)

In 2009, it was announced that Star Craft 2 would not include local area network (LAN) multiplayer. This came as a shock since LAN play had been a staple of Blizzard's multiplayer games. Blizzard would justify the decision by stating that using their Battle.net service would be the preferred way to play.[1][2]

Diablo III Always-On DRM (2011) and Error 37 (2012)

In August 2011, Blizzard confirmed that Diablo III would require an internet connection to be played even if users wanted to opt out of the multiplayer components.[3]

At launch, many players were unable to play game and received Error 37 which indicated that the servers were busy.[4]

Removing access to MWII(2022) and MWIII(2023) through the Call of Duty HQ (2025)

This section is incomplete. This notice can be deleted once all the placeholder text has been replaced.

Overwatch 2 and PvE (2024)

Overwatch was promised player-versus-environment (PvE) content in Overwatch 2, but this feature was eventually cancelled in 2024, after people had already purchased Overwatch 2. This was never really addressed or compensated for.[citation needed (21 April 2026)]

Account lock and forced arbitration (2024)

Main article: Activision Blizzard account lock and forced arbitration

Activision Blizzard blocked access to Blizzard services, requiring customers to accept forced arbitration terms in the updated Blizzard end-user license agreement (EULA).

Termination of Blizzard's contract with NetEase (2023)

Mainland China lost access to Blizzard's main titles for over a year as a result of licensing agreements going unmet.[5] Following this Overwatch was review-bombed on Steam and, eventually, acquired by Microsoft Gaming.[6]

Call of Duty selling AI-generated content (2024 & 2025)

An example of one of the paid AI-generated loading screens for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

In late 2024, Activision introduced multiple pieces of content to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 that were AI-generated.[7][8] This content was additionally paywalled, which further upset fans online.[8] It was not originally disclosed to consumers that this content was in-fact AI-generated, and it was not until Valve changed Steam's disclosure policies that it was confirmed publicly that this content was generated using AI software.[9]

Activision released Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 in late 2025 that contains generative AI in the product. A prominent example of this is the backgrounds for the in-game calling cards, which display art that clearly has been trained on Studio Ghibli's animation style and contains the usual errors such as extra digits.[10] A user on X claimed that they were able to refund their copy on Steam despite having completed the campaign, citing a lack of disclosure as to the pervasive usage of AI in the game.[11] For its part, Activision had the required Steam disclaimer on the store listing.[12]

H2M mod bait and switch (2024)

On 15 August 2024, the Twitter account for the creators of the H2 Multiplayer Mod (a fan-made mod for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered) announced they had received and were complying with a cease and desist order on behalf of Activision effective immediately.[13] This occurred on the day before the mod was supposed to be released. Weeks prior, Activision put Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered on sale on Steam in order to drive sales in anticipation of the mod's release, as possessing a licensed copy of the game was a prerequisite in order for the mod to function. Fans immediately derided the move as a deliberately timed act, subsequently mass refunding and review bombing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered on Steam in protest of the C&D.[14]

Micro-transaction (MTX) overload

Main article: Downloadable content#DLC overload

Activision is well-known for its excessive usage of micro-transactions, with $1.34B in Q1 2021,[15] and further peaks, such as $5.1B in 2022.[16] It is clear that Activision is highly incentivized to generate as much revenue via micro-transactions, going so far as to contribute to the detriment of the games according to fans.[17][18] The cosmetics seen inside Black Ops 6 are reported to be the most distracting in the franchise to-date.[19]

Blizzard is additionally not innocent of pumping their content with MTX, with one of the most egregious examples being Overwatch 2.[20] The micro-transactions among this game has sparked controversy among the community as well.[21] Other Blizzard IPs are also not safe from this either, such as WarCraft,[22][23] Diablo,[24][25][26] and StarCraft.[27]

Products and franchises

  • Call of Duty (Activision)
  • Crash Bandicoot (Activision)
  • Guitar Hero (Activision)
  • Skylanders (Activision)
  • Spyro the Dragon (Activision)
  • Tony Hawk's (series) (Activision)
  • Diablo (series) (Blizzard)
  • Hearthstone (Blizzard)
  • Heroes of the Storm (Blizzard)
  • Overwatch (Blizzard)
  • StarCraft (Blizzard)
  • WarCraft (Blizzard)
  • Candy Crush Saga (King)

Patents

Patent Name Summary Of Invention Consumer Related Drawback
US20160005270A1 System and method for driving microtransactions in multiplayer video games The patent lays the ground for a dynamically adjusting matchmaking system to ensure a positive experience for players in order to increase microtransactions. This patent includes a method to check quality factors such as facial expressions, body language, or "other observable metrics related to gameplay" in real time. That includes access to connected cameras like webcams. This clearly violates the consumer's privacy, especially without dedicated notice of such practices as in presumably Call of Duty Black Ops 6.

Source video, needs solid verification of loaded DLLs How to list DLLs

US11896905B2 Methods and systems for continuing to execute a simulation after processing resources go offline To simulate gameplay of NPCs, the system may identify end user devices (e.g., gaming consoles, personal computers, smartphones, etc.) that are connected to the system through a network and are available to participate in a simulated NPC gameplay session. This patent essentially describes how a botnet is created in the consumer's network, which is outright stealing resources to train the company's NPC AI — even after closing the game. Further misuse of affected network devices is very well possible, thanks to unclear language like "an agent [...] may program one or more physical processors of end user device[s]". This seems to be already happening with Call of Duty Black Ops 6. The game is reported to still run in the background even after closing it. You need to use the Windows task manager on PC to fully close the game's process. There are also tutorials online on how to completely close the game on console.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "StarCraft 2's Non-existent LAN Support Explained, Piracy Cited as Key Reason". Archived from the original on 15 Nov 2024.
  2. ↑ "Blizzard Announces No LAN Support For Starcraft II". Archived from the original on 15 Mar 2025.
  3. ↑ Lee, Garnet (1 Aug 2011). "Diablo 3 requires always-on Internet". ShackNews. Archived from the original on 18 Aug 2025. Retrieved 26 Jan 2026.
  4. ↑ Kain, Erik (17 May 2012). "'Diablo III' Fans Should Stay Angry About Always-Online DRM". Forbes. Archived from the original on 24 Oct 2025. Retrieved 20 Apr 2025.
  5. ↑ Craig, Danny (2023-01-16). "NetEase team behind the Chinese versions of Blizzard's titles has been dissolved | Hitmarker". Hitmarker. Archived from the original on 2025-08-03. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
  6. ↑ Lombardo, Cara; Grind, Kirsten; Tilley, Aaron (2022-01-18). "Microsoft to Buy Activision Blizzard in All-Cash Deal Valued at $75 Billion". WSJ. Archived from the original on 2026-01-12. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
  7. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (9 Dec 2024). "Call of Duty Fans Give Black Ops 6's Zombie Santa Loading Screen the Finger Amid 'AI Slop' Backlash". IGN. Archived from the original on 9 Dec 2024. Retrieved 13 Jul 2025.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Shaun_LaDee (7 Dec 2024). "Amid the 6 fingered Santa Controversy, I looked into some loading screens included in PAID bundles..." Reddit. Archived from the original on 16 Jan 2025. Retrieved 13 Jul 2025.
  9. ↑ Martin, Cole (24 Feb 2025). "Activision is forced to confirm the use of AI in Call of Duty due to Steam's disclosure policy". Windows Central. Archived from the original on 25 Feb 2025. Retrieved 13 Jul 2025.
  10. ↑ Kume (13 Nov 2025). "Kume on X". X. Archived from the original on 21 Mar 2026. Retrieved 21 Mar 2026.
  11. ↑ Bricky (14 Nov 2025). "Bricky on X". X. Archived from the original on 21 Mar 2026. Retrieved 12 Dec 2025.
  12. ↑ "Call of Duty®: Black Ops 7 on Steam". Steam. Archived from the original on 24 Mar 2026. Retrieved 12 Dec 2025. Our team uses generative AI tools to help develop some in game assets.
  13. ↑ H2 Multiplayer Mod (15 Aug 2024). "H2 Multiplayer Mod on X". X. Archived from the original on 21 Mar 2026. Retrieved 13 Dec 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. ↑ Cripe, Michael (15 Aug 2024). "Modern Warfare 2 Multiplayer Mod Canceled the Day Before Launch After Activision Sends Devs Cease and Desist". IGN. Archived from the original on 17 Aug 2024. Retrieved 13 Dec 2025.
  15. ↑ Strickland, Derek (5 May 2021). "Activision Q1 microtransctions hit $1.343 billion, best Q1 in 6 years". TweakTown. Archived from the original on 25 Jun 2021. Retrieved 13 Jul 2025.
  16. ↑ Anderson, Kareem (7 Feb 2022). "Activision's $5.1 billion in microtransaction revenue could play a huge roll in Microsoft Gaming's future". onmsft.com. Archived from the original on 7 Feb 2022. Retrieved 13 Jul 2025.
  17. ↑ Reeves, Brianna (27 Apr 2023). "MW2 players say increased micro-transaction sales are why COD won't improve". Dexerto. Archived from the original on 30 Apr 2023. Retrieved 13 Jul 2025.
  18. ↑ Lewis, Catherine (28 Apr 2023). "Microtransactions are killing Call Of Duty, players say". Gaming Bible. Archived from the original on 4 Jul 2023. Retrieved 13 Jul 2025.
  19. ↑ Morris, Daniel (20 Dec 2024). "Black Ops 6 cosmetics: has Call of Duty jumped the shark?". Destructoid. Archived from the original on 21 Dec 2024. Retrieved 13 Jul 2025.
  20. ↑ "Overwatch 2". macrotransactions.org. 2022. Archived from the original on 22 May 2025. Retrieved 13 Jul 2025.
  21. ↑ Star99er (26 Jan 2025). "Overwatch's Aggressive Microtransactions". Blizzard. Archived from the original on 8 Jul 2025. Retrieved 13 Jul 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  22. ↑ "World of Warcraft". macrotransactions.org. 2025. Archived from the original on 11 Apr 2025. Retrieved 13 Jul 2025.
  23. ↑ Parker, Jason (23 Nov 2021). "World of Warcraft's New Microtransactions Are Greedier Than Ever". EsportsTalk. Archived from the original on 6 Sep 2024. Retrieved 13 Jul 2025.
  24. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (7 Jun 2023). "Now Diablo 4 Is Out in the Wild, the True Horror of Its Costly Microtransactions Has Revealed Itself". IGN. Archived from the original on 8 Jun 2023. Retrieved 13 Jul 2025.
  25. ↑ "Diablo Immortal". macrotransactions.org. 2022. Archived from the original on 9 Aug 2022. Retrieved 13 Jul 2025.
  26. ↑ "Diablo IV". macrotransactions.org. 2023. Archived from the original on 11 Aug 2024. Retrieved 13 Jul 2025.
  27. ↑ ackmondual (16 Jul 2021). "MTX (microtransaction) is beyond suckage". Blizzard. Archived from the original on 8 Jul 2025. Retrieved 13 Jul 2025.
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