Activision Blizzard as a company has always been surrounded by controversies. From allegations of discriminating against employees on the basis of age and sex, the company has seen it all. Moreover, since the company has been at the receiving end of several lawsuits, they have spent millions in settlements.
They have also been on the receiving end of severe backlash from gamers. Activision was criticized for alleged anti-trust violations in its Call of Duty eSports market. While this went to a federal court in LA, it remains to be seen how it goes for Activision.
Dr Disrespect slams Call of Duty developer Activision Blizzard
While all of this is not new for the company, they have landed themselves in yet another controversy. This is related to the Blaze Up 4/20 event, which came to Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone. The event will end with a full celebration on April 20. The events come with many challenges which can be completed to get rewards.
For the unknown, April 20 is a day often celebrated by cannabis enthusiasts in the US. Therefore, the Call of Duty event features special skins and rewards linked to marijuana. However, this has not gone well with streamers like Dr Disrespect.
The streamer took to X to vent out his anger on the company for celebrating the cannabis day. The Doc posted on X-
Activision pushing water bongs, marijuana, ‘Get High’ levels, drugs, and $100 camos on gamers…
…but they remove Nickmercs skin for him saying ‘leave the kids alone’.
Activision is ran by a bunch of idiots.
Biggest suit and tie phonies in the industry.
— Dr Disrespect (@DrDisrespect) April 12, 2024
Dr Disrespect does not seem to be happy around the fact that the company planned an in-game event around the particular day.
He also slammed the company for removing Nickmercs’ bundle from Call of Duty. Nickmercs’ skin got removed from the game after he commented on the LGBTQ+ community, which led to severe backlash. As such, Activision distanced itself from Nickmercs.
Call of Duty removes Nickmercs’ skin
Previously, streamer Nickmercs’ skin was removed from Modern Warfare 2 and Call of Duty: Warzone shop.
This was in response to the streamer’s controversial homophobic remarks. Activision posted on X, and added,
“Due to recent events, we have removed the ‘Nickmercs Operator’ bundle from the Modern Warfare II and Warzone store. We are focused on celebrating PRIDE with our employees and our community.”
The controversy started when Nickmercs commented after a fight broke out between LGBTQ+ activists and anti-LGBTQ+ hate groups during a school board meeting in California. The streamer commented that children should be left out of all of these.
While some were against the streamer’s comments, many also suggested that his comment was misinterpreted. As such, some of his fans started boycotting Call of Duty, after his skin was removed from the shop.
