NICKMERCS was one of the first streamers to have a playable operator skin in Call of Duty. It was released as a bundle on May 31 and included two skins, two blueprints, an emblem, a finishing move, a loading screen, a weapon charm, and a weapon sticker—all of which tied into his red and black MFAM-branded theme.
Originally, it could be purchased for 2,400 CoD Points.
A little over a week after the bundle was added, Activision removed it following the Twitch star tweeting something that drew a lot of criticism on Twitter. It came about so quickly, some people might have missed the reason why.
NICKMERCS CoD skin Twitter controversy, explained
So how did this all begin? Chris Puckett, an esports caster and host, shared a tweet about an incident in California where anti-LGBTQ+ protesters allegedly attacked pro-LGBTQ+ demonstrators outside of a school board meeting on June 7.
The school board was voting on recognizing June as pride month. Puckett condemned the anti-LGBTQ+ protesters, saying they should let people love who they love and live their own life.
NICKMERCS responded: “They should leave little children alone. That’s the real issue.”
This is an increasingly popular right-wing retort that has been used to fuel conspiracy theories that LGBTQ+ people are “brainwashing” and even molesting children. Many people, including fans, streamers, and esports pros, criticized him for what they claimed was a bigoted and potentially dangerous take on the incident. It blew up on social media and sparked a debate between those who agreed and disagreed.
A lot has happened since then, and we’ve compiled the latest updates for you below, so you’ll always know what’s going on.
Full timeline of NICKMERCS and Activision controversy
June 7 – NICKMERCS posts the controversial tweet
Nick posts his controversial tweet that sparks a widespread backlash in the Apex Legends and streaming communities.
June 8 – NICKMERCS addresses the tweet and backlash
After seeing the immensely adverse reaction to his comment, Nick spoke about it during his stream on June 8.
He told fans it wasn’t his intention to make anyone mad and insisted his tweet wasn’t an anti-gay message. His explanation was that he feels it should be up to parents rather than a school and its teachers to decide what is and isn’t right for their children to learn about.
June 8 – Activision removes NICKMERCS’ creator bundle from CoD stores
The bundle was quietly removed from CoD storefronts after Nick’s tweet. Activision confirmed the bundle was removed “due to recent events” and added the team was “focused on celebrating PRIDE with our employees and our community.” It is unknown if people who purchased it will be refunded.
June 9 – Dr. Disrespect and others boycott and uninstall Warzone
Popular streamer Dr Disrespect came out in support of Nick.
“I feel like [Activision] either need to apologize publicly to [Nick], or reinstate his bundle in order for me to consider playing Call of Duty again,” Dr Disrespect said on stream. Cloakzy also removed the game from his library, likely in support of Nick.
June 10 – TimTheTatman asks Activision to remove his creator bundle too
TimTheTatman, who received a Warzone skin at the same time as Nick, asked Activision to remove his own cosmetic from the game out of solidarity with Nick.
“It feels wrong for me to have mine and him no longer have his. In support of my friend, please remove the timthetatman bundle,” Tim said.
Tim and Nick are both very popular CoD streamers and content creators, as well as longtime friends. This latest development caused some to support Tim and Nick who lauded Tim for standing by his friend no matter what. Others have criticized Tim, saying friends should confront their peers and ask better of them.
June 11 – Activision removes TimTheTatman’s creator bundle from MW2 and Warzone stores
Tim’s wish has been granted.
“At Tim’s request, we have removed the TimTheTatman operator bundle from the Modern Warfare II and the Warzone store,” Activision’s statement reads.
Currently, the bundles are still available to use by those who have already purchased them, but they can’t be bought by anyone else.
June 19 – NICKMERCS streams for the first time in almost two weeks
During his return stream, NICKMERCS doubled down on his controversial tweet. “I stand by everything I said,” he said. He also gained 11,000 subscribers during the stream, so the controversy doesn’t seem to have lessened his popularity, but his CoD bundle hasn’t been reinstated.
June 19 – NICKMERCS says HasanAbi is dead to him
With streamers like Dr. Disrespect and TimTheTatman weighing in on the controversy in support of Nick, others joined the opposing side. HasanAbi said of Dr. Disrespect, “He’s more loyal to NICKMERCS’ having his skin than his own wife,” referring to allegations of his infidelity.
This seems to have ruffled Nick, who said on his return stream, “that motherfucker [Hasan] is dead to me.” He claims Hasan referenced the infidelity on Dr. Disrespect’s anniversary, making it even more insulting.
