Yup, all the lairy outfits and animated lava camo guns have totally undermined the tone of MW. The 2019 outing for all its issues really felt like it was on the right track and I was excited to see it evolve. Then the UI/UX got all Hulu'd up, the cosmetics got silly. The entirety of MWII and seemingly now this feels like it was all made by a marketing team with zero thoughts to long term prospects. I'm also peeved about how the whole Night Vision side of multiplayer got side-lined.
I really hope that this franchise gets a real kick up the arse: new tech, new UI/UX, something more integrated and built from the ground up for current gen only. But, I'm not expecting much...
The whole storefront for cosmetic stuff is hideous. I'd be ok with paying a little for some cool items, but forcing you to buy bundles, not to mention the absurd pricing and the peculiar rotation/visibility of content. There should be a complete storefront with all items available individually and bundles should only be a discount/marketing opportunity; I wouldn't be surprised if this paired with a 50% cut in prices would actually encourage more engagement, purchases and revenue in the long run. I'm not paying $20 for a bundle to get the one gun skin I want, followed by a gun skin I don't want, character skins I'm not interested in and some tackie charms. But I'd probably be inclined to spend $2 ten times over for really good, specific gun/blue prints.
Random sidenote: I'd like to see a gunsmith system function more like this (akin to the original plans for MWII before they scrapped it):
There are weapon "Parts" & weapon "Attachments". Changing a necessary weapon part from default to custom shouldn't take attachment slots. If I choose .458 SOCOM round, I don't get why that should take an attachment slot, the trade off of power vs capacity has already been made. A magazine has to be there, a barrel has to be there, I need ammo in my gun, why is choosing what fills that space stopping me from attaching something else? Attachments should be added, while Parts should just be changeable.