Activision Blizzard has eliminated a pores and skin primarily based on FaZe Nickmercs from Name Of Responsibility, days after the FaZe content material creator posted an anti-LGBTQ+ tweet.
On Wednesday (June 7), esports commentator Chris Puckett shared a video that appeared to point out people assaulting “pro-LGBT demonstrators” outdoors of a college board assembly in California.
Whereas Puckett condemned the attackers and urged them to “let individuals love who they love and dwell your individual life,” FaZe content material creator Nick ‘Nickmercs’ Kolcheff answered: “They [demonstrators] ought to depart little kids alone. That’s the actual challenge.”
They need to depart little kids alone. That’s the actual challenge.
— FaZe Nickmercs (@NICKMERCS) June 7, 2023
As Dexerto has reported, the anti-LGBTQ+ tweet has been broadly condemned by different figureheads within the gaming neighborhood, who’ve slammed the streamer’s feedback as “dangerous, incorrect,” and “harmful“.
In the present day (June 9), Activision Blizzard has stepped in to verify that Nickmercs’ playable Operator pores and skin — added simply over per week in the past (Might 31) — has now been eliminated.
“Because of current occasions, now we have eliminated the “Nickmercs Operator” bundle from the Trendy Warfare 2 and Warzone retailer,” reads a tweet from Name Of Responsibility‘s Twitter account. “We’re targeted on celebrating Delight with our staff and our neighborhood.”
Because of current occasions, now we have eliminated the “NICKMERCS Operator” bundle from the Trendy Warfare II and Warzone retailer. We’re targeted on celebrating PRIDE with our staff and our neighborhood.
— Name of Responsibility (@CallofDuty) June 9, 2023
Whereas Nickmercs is but to acknowledge the elimination of their operator pores and skin, he has defended posting the controversial tweet.
“I didn’t imply to upset anyone,” he claimed on-stream (through Dexerto). “I do know that I did. I’m not apologizing in regards to the tweet, as a result of I don’t really feel prefer it’s incorrect. I’m gonna stand by what I mentioned.”
This isn’t the primary controversy for Nickmercs, who was criticised for selling an occasion with “no masks necessities, no vaccine necessities” in 2022, at a time when the protecting measures had been “strongly” really useful.
It’s additionally the most recent in a string of unhealthy press for FaZe, which not too long ago noticed Snoop Dogg exit the corporate amid a disastrous monetary yr.
Final month, Stranger Issues actress Grace Van Dien joined FaZe — although the organisation’s co-owner, Nordan ‘FaZe Rain’ Shat, responded to her signing with sexist feedback.
