Call of Duty removes Nickmercs skin following streamer’s anti-LGBTQ tweet
polygon.comCall of Duty has removed the “Nickmerc Operator” skin from its Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone stores, after the streamer and former MLG Champion made an anti-LGTBQ tweet.
On Tuesday, esports broadcaster Chris Puckett responded to footage, shared on Twitter, of anti-LGBTQ protestors attacking pro-LGBTQ demonstrators in Glendale, California outside of a school board meeting. In his quote tweet, he said: “Americans are in a sad place right now. Let people love who they love and live your own life.”
This happened 4 blocks from my Overwatch League apartment. Americans are in a sad place right now. Let people love who they love and live your own life. https://t.co/iflQJ1xmgC
Nick Kolcheff, who streams under the name Nickmercs, tweeted in response, with a common anti-LGBTQ talking point that far-right conservatives use to disparage trans people. “They should leave little children alone,” Nickmercs tweeted. “That’s the real issue.” Numerous Twitter users tweeted their disappointment, in response to the statement.
The following day, Nickmercs livestreamed and said that he wouldn’t apologize or remove the statement from Twitter. “I’m not apologizing about the tweet, because I don’t feel like I’m — I don’t feel like it’s wrong,” he said, saying that he and his wife “want to be the one[s] to speak with our child about stuff like that.”
Nickmercs is a popular Twitch streamer with 6.7 million Twitch subscribers and 2.6 million followers on Instagram. He’s a member of FaZe Clan, an esports organization.
CharlieIntel, a site that shares Call of Duty news, initially noticed the Nickmercs skins disappearing from Call of Duty stores on Thursday, saying “It appears Activision has removed the Nickmercs bundle from the Warzone and MWII store
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