Some Xbox Fans Aren’t Happy About ‘Intrusive’ Call Of Duty: MW3 Ads

The marketing for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is well and truly underway, and now that Microsoft has finalised the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, it seems it’s even getting in on the action.

Today, alongside the “early access” preload and campaign launch of Modern Warfare 3, Microsoft is running large ads on the Xbox menu for the new entry. These appear when users boot up their console – with the options to “buy now”, get an upgrade, or navigate back to the dashboard.

While many Xbox fans have been quick to note the same thing has happened with games like Starfield and Forza Motorsport most recently (and even the Xbox Showcase), others have labelled these ads “intrusive” and are taking to social media and various subreddits to voice their frustration.

Here’s a small sample of the mixed responses so far:

AnchormanV2 via social media: “Hey @Xbox please don’t do this ever again Advertising new releases is what you have those boxes on the dashboard for”

via Reddit: “Just put it in a small tile where the other crap is. Don’t overtake my console like this…This is coming from an Xbox fan, too. Hate intrusive ads.”

RealRustyman via social media: “Not the first time recently, Starfield and Forza both did this and I didn’t see an outcry Why now?”

JayWood2010 via social media: “Honestly this is a whole lot of nothing to complain about If its anything like the Starfield ad, it pops up one time when you first turn your console on & then thats it. It never appears again Its not invasive & its a great way of notifying fans that their next big game is out”