Summary
Nick “Nickmercs” Kolcheff said he isn’t playingCall of Duty: Black Ops 6partly due to a fallout with Activision over his anti-LGBTQ+ comments. Even so, the popular streamer insisted that’s not the only reason why he has little interest in picking upBlack Ops 6.
In May 2023, Activision unveiled a Nickmercs-inspired operator skin forCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2andCOD: Warzone. A month later, the streamer chimed in on a story about a clash between pro- and anti-LGBTQ+ protesters outside a California school that was voting whether to recognize June as Pride Month. “They should leave little children alone,” the content creator tweeted at the time. This stirred up a lot of controversy and promptly resulted in theNickmercsCall of Dutyoperator bundle being removed from bothModern Warfare 2andWarzone.
Some 16 months later, the content creator has no intention of playing thenewly releasedCall of Duty: Black Ops 6, having said as much during a recent livestream. “This is the first year in a long time when I’m not gonna playCall of Duty,” Nickmercs revealed while streamingApex Legendsin late October 2024. Elaborating on this stance, the Twitch and YouTube starsaidthat Activision’s decision to remove his operator bundle from last year’s game left “a bad taste” in his mouth.
Nickmercs Isn’t Impressed With Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
That notwithstanding, the streamer also said that he has issues with the game itself. Even thoughBlack Ops 6introduces some novelties like omnimovement, Nickmercs opined that the series itself “always kind of feels like the same old s***,” implying that the 2024 entry is no different in this regard.
This is the first year in a long time when I’m not gonna play Call of Duty.
Nickmercs Concedes He ‘Liked’ Black Ops 6 Beta
On that note, the streamer revealed that he isn’t just basing this perspective on the promotional materials for the game. Instead, he played theBlack Ops 6beta, which he said that he “liked” but “didn’t love.” While some of his viewers expressed doubts about whether he’ll stick by what he said and completely avoid the 2024Call of Dutyentry, Nickmercs just laughed at that skepticism. “OK, we’ll see,” he said.
As for the game itself,Black Ops 6currently seems to be off to a strong start on Steam, having managed to surpass bothModern Warfare 2andMW3’s concurrent player peaks on Valve’s platform. Activision has yet to share any concrete sales figures for the shooter, but whatever they are, they were likely partially cannibalized byBlack Ops 6being a day-one release on Xbox Game Pass.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
WHERE TO PLAY
Forced to go rogue. Hunted from within. This is Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.Developed by Treyarch and Raven, Black Ops 6 is a spy action thriller set in the early 90s, a period of transition and upheaval in global politics, characterized by the end of the Cold War and the rise of the United States as a single superpower. With a mind-bending narrative, and unbound by the rules of engagement, this is signature Black Ops.The Black Ops 6 Campaign provides dynamic moment-to-moment gameplay that includes a variety of play spaces with blockbuster set pieces and action-packed moments, high-stakes heists, and cloak-and-dagger spy activity.In a best-in-class Multiplayer experience, players will test their skills across 16 new maps at launch, including 12 core 6v6 maps and 4 Strike maps that can be played 2v2 or 6v6.Black Ops 6 also marks the epic return of Round-Based Zombies, the fan-favorite mode where players will take down hordes of the undead in two brand-new maps at launch. Post-launch, players can look forward to even more exciting maps and groundbreaking experiences dropping into both Multiplayer and Zombies.
