I haven't thought about Burger King in a while, because earlier this week I learned that the fast-food giant teamed up with Activision for a Call of Duty promotion: Buy a burger and get an exclusive operator skin based on the fictional fast-food chain, Burger Town. I was hoping to get a limited edition operator skin based on the fictional fast food chain, Burgertown. My hopes were dashed (and my colon thanked me) when I realized that of the 40 countries (open in new tab) that were supposed to offer Call of Duty meals, the United States was not among them.

Of course, "Call of Duty" players quickly proved that regional marketing disparities don't get in the way when it comes to exclusive merchandise. Shortly after the Burger King/MW2 promo began, a list of Burger Town skins (opens in new tab) began selling on Ebay. At the time of the article's publication, over 30 Burger King codes were selling for between $20 and $40. Apparently, the codes themselves are not region-locked (opens in new tab), so those who are not eligible for the promo can type the code into the official Call of Duty website and get rewarded.

It must be clarified how many people want this burger skin, and the reality is that it is just a regular guy in a Burger Town shirt, but $40 is the equivalent of about 10 Whoppers, or more than half the price of Modern Warfare 2 itself (some sellers may be selling it to themselves to artificially inflate the price). The frequent appearance of Burger Town is one of the longest-running Easter eggs in the series since Burger Town appeared in the original Modern Warfare 2 (2009).

It is not clear what dark act of Activision prevented the inclusion of Call of Duty's hometown, the United States, in the promotion of Burger Town, but the alternative is this absolutely ridiculous ad created for the Burger King event I don't think it's comparable. [Modern Warfare 2's HUD is amazingly faithful, crawling around the vents like a secret agent when a true CoD protagonist would simply break through the door, the guy's call sign is "Burger Six," Burger Six makes himself an ice cream cone and then immediately throws it on the ground. All the best, with the only low point being the very tasteless Burger King meal being revealed as the grand prize.

And this semi-global burger bonanza continues. As Fernando Machado, chief marketing officer of Activision Blizzard, shares (opens in new tab), Burger King around the world is all about "Call of Duty". This is BK in Puerto Rico, where an imposing frame of Ghost has been installed where the regular door used to be:

I won't shed a tear if I miss La Casa del Whopper's food, but I admit that the tacky Burger Town shirt with a white man on it is calling me. He can and should be considered CoD's new official mascot.