Call of Duty 2026's leaked battle pass sounds awful

Gaming as a hobby has been rapidly getting more expensive in recent months, with the introduction of $80 games thanks to Mario Kart World from Nintendo. Nintendo isn't the only gaming company that is finding a way to squeeze more money out of the consumers who are still willing to buy video games and not just exclusively play free-to-play games. According to a prominent and reliable Call of Duty leaker, the next entry in Activision's — and, by extension, Microsoft's — yearly FPS title will include some unfavorable changes to its battle pass. Combine that with Microsoft announcing that some of its games will be $80 this holiday, and Call of Duty fans may be in for an expensive time this holiday. The Ghost of Hope on X shared that Call of Duty 2026, expected to be Black Ops 7, will change how limited-time events work moving forward, limiting access to them based on whether you have the paid battle pass.