Black Ops 6’s Club Thumper Baseball Bat Is Treyarch’s Attempt to Copy Fortnite but Is Detrimental to the Franchise

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****** Ops 6’s Club Thumper Baseball Bat Is Treyarch’s Attempt to Copy Fortnite but Is Detrimental to the Franchise

Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6 is about to make headlines with its latest cosmetic addition, the Club Thumper baseball bat. Designed as a hybrid melee weapon and party prop, the baseball bat will open up to reveal a DJing cat surrounded by speakers. And boy are fans going to riot.

The skins really are too much. | Image Credit: @FiliZi/

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Call of Duty is an iconic franchise, one of the biggest in the industry. Gamers know it for its gritty military themes and gameplay. But recently, the franchise has faced increasing criticism for veering into flashy, cartoonish aesthetics that many fans believe clash with its core identity.

****** Ops 6 is Adding A Rave Cat Baseball Bat Skin

The Club Thumper baseball bat is the perfect example of Call of Duty‘s pivot toward extravagant cosmetics. The weapon’s flashing lights, electronic music, and animated cat DJ starkly contrast with the game’s traditionally gritty tone. With these new Fortnite-like cosmetics, fans really think the franchise has taken a turn for the worse.

Baseball bat that turns into a rave with a cat as the DJ in Call of Duty ****** Ops 6

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— ModernWarzone (@ModernWarzone)

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Fortnite’s success has undeniably influenced the gaming industry, especially in terms of cosmetics. Its cartoonish aesthetics and bold designs have been a blueprint for engaging younger audiences and driving microtransaction sales. And it’s very apparent that other games, including ****** Ops 6, follow that trend. But fans aren’t interested.

Call of Duty has never been a strictly realistic shooter, but it has always had a semi-grounded approach that was a good fit for players seeking a military-inspired experience. From its Modern Warfare campaigns to multiplayer modes with realistic weapon designs, the franchise found its niche and it worked.

Fortnite has had a detrimental impact on gaming.

— JustGregory (@GregoryGambles)

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What in the ***** has this game become? It’s just no build Fortnite now.

— ᴛʜᴏᴜꜱᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴏʀᴅ (@th0usandw0rd)

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This identity crisis isn’t new. The franchise has balanced realism and accessibility since the start. However, the shift toward colorful, cartoonish aesthetics gained momentum with Advanced Warfare in 2014, which introduced playful skins like gingerbread men. Though that one was for a good cause.

They Affect More Than Just The CoD Aesthetic

Activision probably won’t care. | Image Credit: Treyarch

At the heart of this is Activision’s monetization strategy. Cosmetics are a big source of revenue, and the financial success of ****** Ops 6 supports this approach approach. So despite fan pushback, Activision probably won’t change anything anytime soon. It’s making money so why stop when we can ignore all problems?

I pray ****** ops 6 gets Re optimized

Mw3 325+ fps
To barely getting 100 on ****** ops 6

I’ve tried everything
Resize bar
All low settings
Adjusted my notepad configuration

Nothing is working

— DJ2X

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Beyond aesthetics, flashy cosmetics like the Club Thumper may also affect gameplay. Players report that extravagant designs can be distracting and even impact performance, with frame rates dropping during matches. While some argue that bright skins make enemies easier to spot, many feel that the visual clutter disrupts their focus.

To regain its footing, Call of Duty must find a balance between creativity and authenticity. While some experimentation is inevitable in a competitive market, going too over the top with the trendy aesthetic also goes away from the franchise’s own aesthetic.

The absence of an option to toggle skins, like the feature available in Call of Duty: Mobile is also annoying. If the people who like the skins are buying them anyway, Activision could easily make an option for the ones who don’t disable it. Be it for preference or performance.

What do you think about the direction that Call of Duty has taken? Let us know in the comments!