In a statement released to the public through social media, Activision has announced that it will be removing the TimTheTatman operator bundle and skin from Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone stores at the streamer's request. The YouTuber had earlier requested the removal on social media as a sign of protest against the developer's decision to remove Nickmercs' operator from the games after his controversial statements about the LGBTQIA+ community.
Earlier today Timothy "TimeTheTatman" joined some other voices, such as Dr DisRespect, to publicly express disapproval of the decision to remove Nickmercs' licensed character from Call of Duty Games. It appears that Activision has approved his request, with a representative claiming this as per sources:
"At Tim’s request, we have removed the TimTheTatman operator bundle from the Modern Warfare II and the Warzone store."
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Why are the Nickmercs and TimTheTatman bundles being removed from Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone? The whole timeline explained
Officially licensed operators featuring content creators TimTheTatman and Nickmercs were added with the May 31 release of Call of Duty Modern Warfare and Warzone 2 Season 3. Fans of both streamers were delighted to learn that, and could purchase them through the in-game store.
With custom assets featuring iconic dialogue and custom loadout options including skins and cosmetics, the collaboration was hailed as the next big thing in Call of Duty as fans expected more creators to get added in the coming days. However, within two weeks of being officially released to the public, things have gone awfully wrong.
It started with the Twitch streamer Nick "Nickmercs" making a highly controversial tweet in reply to a video posted by prominent esports broadcaster MLG Puckett. This was about pro-LGBTQ+ protestors being attacked by Proud Boys and other far-right groups outside a school in Glendale California.
Puckett's post was sympathetic toward the protestors and asked for Americans to let people be and love whomever they want. Meanwhile, Nick's post claimed that "the real issue" was not the protestors getting beaten as seen in the video, but that "they should leave the children alone."
The comment drew harsh criticism from Puckett and others, such as Grace Van Dien. The latter noted how the FaZe Clan co-owner's tweet pushed a false and dangerous narrative that baselessly links the pro-LGBTQ+ movement with pedophilia.
With the Twitch streamer defending his stance on livestream, Nickmercs' fans have started boycotting Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 after the backlash. Later, Activision made the following announcement through the official Call of Duty Twitter handle about removing Nickmercs' operator bundle:
Many prominent creators have spoken out against the controversial tweet. Fans of the Twitch streamer and a few content creators, such as TimTheTatman, have openly disapproved of the decision to remove the bundle; many started boycotting Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone in protest.
TimTheTatman went further and in a recent tweet, called Nickmercs his long-time friend who he will be supporting through the controversy. He asked Call of Duty to explicitly remove his own operator bundle and skins in solidarity.
It appears that TimTheTatman's wish has been granted with Activision representatives letting it out that the official licenses skin of the popular YouTube streamer will be removed from the in-game stores.
Dr DisRespect is another streamer who has publicly called out Activision for its decision to remove Nickmercs' skin, telling his viewers that he will not be playing the game unless Call of Duty apologizes and brings back the bundle. While this isn't the first time, Dr DisRespect uninstalled Modern Warfare 2 on stream, seemingly joining the boycott.
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