In a damage limitation move by Sledgehammer Games, the studio has confirmed the nerfing of the paid skins that garnered a lot of hatred among Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 gamers. Gamers were not pleased when the Gaia and Blackcell Operator skins launched, as they weren’t easily available to all and were nicknamed the Groot skin for their uncanny resemblance.
The major blowout around the skin centered around the fact that the skin literally made players invisible, with all the holes helping players camouflage quite easily. In response to a fan on Reddit, Sledgehammer Games’ official account made things clear about the changes coming to the skin.
The Gaia Skin Is Being Taken Away by Sledgehammer Games Until Visibility Issues Are Resolved
The Gaia skin was introduced back in September with the release of Modern Warfare 2‘s Season 6, and players have been criticizing the skin ever since. The skin, nicknamed the Groot skin, enables players to look just like the Marvel character Groot, with the body made of twisted roots and including plenty of holes, making it quite easy for players to camouflage.
On the other hand, the skin also makes it quite harder for players to spot their enemies when they’re using it, leading to heavy backlash from gamers. This led to Activision updating the skin on Modern Warfare 2 to make it more visible for others to spot players using the skin.
The issues escalated after the release of Modern Warfare 3 earlier this month on the 10th, as players were given the option to carry forward all of their cosmetics, unlocks, weapons, and other purchases to the new title from Warzone and Modern Warfare 2, including the infamous Gaia skin. However, the Gaia skin in Modern Warfare 3 looked even harder for players to spot in the new title’s multiplayer modes, especially in the Estate and Wasteland maps, as reported by fans on Reddit.
Fans kept sharing their woes on X and Reddit, and Sledgehammer Games seemed to finally acknowledge players’ misery and drop the hammer on the skin for now. Sledgehammer Games posted an AMA Reddit post to answer questions about the multiplayer mode in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and a fan immediately asked what the studio aims to do about the “Gaia skin and the problems it has brought forward to MW3 from MW2?”
Sledgehammer Games responded by saying there will be adjustments made to the Gaia and Gaia Blackcell Operator Skins in Modern Warfare 3. Sledgehammer Games went on to mention that a future game update will disable the skin until “said changes can be released to all players.”
This bit of news should win over fans and level the playing field a bit as well once the skin is taken away, albeit temporarily. While the move was commended by gamers, a lot of the games were quite vocal about having the skin completely removed from the game. Fans have been quite clear that merely updating the skin to make it look more visible wouldn’t be the best way out.
Fans Remain Divided About Gaia Skin Deserving to Be Deleted Permanently From Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Season 6 Battle Pass expires on December 6, and it’s unlikely that players will be able to purchase the Gaia skin after that. Several fans responded with huge relief for the temporary solution of the skin being taken away. The fanbase is mostly divided between those who actually have the skin and those who don’t.
Refunds are being suggested by some of the gamers who already have the skin, but a majority of the gamers who are already using it wish to keep it the way it is. Fans also compared the Gaia skin to Call of Duty: Warzone‘s Roze skin from a couple of years ago, which was also nerfed following fan backlash.
The Roze received a paid Rook skin, which helped players get an all-black, non-reflective skin. The skin made it almost impossible to spot players if they were in a dark spot on a map. The Roze skin was completely nerfed after attempts to improve it failed.
Gamers would now hope the Gaia skin also gets properly nerfed in a similar fashion. With all the negativity surrounding the latest Call of Duty title, Sledgehammer Games would likely do all that’s possible to answer feedback and win over the gamers in any way possible.
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