The Branson barrel has Call of Duty: Mobile players mad - here is why.
Call of Duty: Mobile has always been an expensive game if you want it to be, but one thing it hasn't been accused of is being pay-to-win - well, that is until now.
This comes after a player discovered that the ASM10 - Red Shadow weapon blueprint, which was released as part of the Shadow of the Blade lucky draw, has a previously unreleased attachment, the Branson barrel, making it effectively behind a paywall.
Branson Attachment Has COD: Mobile Crying Foul
Usually, the release of a new attachment, and one that is being bundled with a premium weapon blueprint, would also be made available through a series of challenges, meaning even those who weren't willing to put their money on the line could unlock the game's newest items.
That isn't the case with the Branson attachment, which, even though it will soon have a series of challenges to unlock it, these aren't live for several days yet, meaning the attachment is currently only available for those willing to pay.
When equipped, the attachment makes the weapon fire the first two bullets at a higher rate.
It's a situation that has COD: Mobile players fearing that this is the start of a "slippery slope" with more pay-walled non-cosmetic items on the way.
"The missions to get the new attachment will be released next week," said one player over on the COD: Mobile subreddit in a thread discussing the issue. "Absolutely dogshit d**k move from Activision."
One concerned player hoped this was simply a mistake:
"I'm hoping this is just an oversight or a miscommunication between dev and mtx teams. If not, I fear this could be the start of a slippery slope."
Others pointed out that the Call of Duty: Mobile developers actually have previous for such moves, citing the recently introduced Tachikoma ATV, which can jump and shoot, unlike the regular ATV, as yet another pay-walled non-cosmetic item.
So, it may well be that COD: Mobile is on that slippery slope, with those that are not willing to stump up the cash needing to wait until August 18, and the start of the challenge that does reward the Branson attachment.
For more COD: Mobile news and guides, check out: