Following Black Lives Matter protests around the world, Activision delayed further Call of Duty seasons, and added a message from Black Lives Matter to his games. Infinity Ward promised to crack down on racism with increased vigilance on racist material, more in-game reporting, and more permanent bans for repeat offenders. But all of this seemed a bit shallow when the game allowed players to run around like cowboy killer cops designed to “show them the error of their ways.”
There is now a live patch on all platforms that it fixes:
· Rename the skin and biography of the D-Day ‘Border War’
· A feat where players could pick up the weapons they dropped before the #Warzone infiltration sequence
· A Rytec AMR bug where shots were hitting above the scope in their range– Infinity Ward (@InfinityWard) July 14, 2020
A patch released Tuesday changed the skin’s name and biography. The description above (“Show them the mistake of their ways and make them pay with the D-Day Border Warfare Operator’s Mask”) now reads: “Play alongside the deer and antelope with the D-Day Operator’s Mask. from Home on the Range. “The fur itself remains the same. It is still clearly inspired by the US Border Patrol, and the description of the deer and the antelope doesn’t really fit the image of a policeman in pleated pants and a bulletproof vest.
Creating the skin in the first place wasn’t a great idea, but Infinity Ward is delivering on its promise to fight racism (including yours) and taking action. Earlier this month, Infinity Ward also removed the ‘OK’ hand gesture from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and War zone. Previously, players could use the hand gesture on the battlefield or while firing their weapons, but the Anti-Defamation League now recognizes the gesture as a hate symbol of white supremacy. Hopefully, Infinity Ward will continue its anti-racism efforts and remain open to learn and improve as it progresses.
