Kolcheff, who goes by the name Nickmercs on YouTube, had his bundle removed from two of the game's most popular versions, Warzone and Modern Warfare II, after suggesting people should "leave little children alone."
Despite the backlash, Kolcheff refused to back down and released a video responding to the controversy, in which he stood by his statement and explained that it did not come from a place of hate. The comment that ignited the debate was posted on Wednesday morning in response to a video showing the violent clash between parents and leftists outside a school board meeting in Glendale, California, over LGBTQ-related issues.
June 11, 2023
"They should leave little children alone," Kolcheff responded. "That's the real issue."
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The tweet quickly gained traction and has been seen over 11 million times. On Thursday, it caught the attention of Call of Duty, who announced that they had taken action against Kolcheff.
June 11, 2023
"Due to recent events, we have removed the 'NICKMERCS Operator' bundle from the Modern Warfare II and Warzone store," they said. "We are focused on celebrating PRIDE with our employees and our community."
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Call of Duty's move was criticized on Twitter, with some users referring to the game as "Call of Groomers." However, others, including Tim Pool, supported Kolcheff's comment, calling it "based."
In response to the controversy, Kolcheff took to YouTube to offer his thoughts. He explained that he and his wife had just had a baby and that being a father had revealed to him that he wanted to live in a world where they, as parents, were the ones talking to their children about issues related to sex and gender.
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"I just don't think it's any place for a teacher or a school– I don't think it's the place to speak about things like that," he continued. "It's not that I think that it shouldn't be spoken about, and if that's what you got from that tweet, you're just wrong ... It wasn't an 'anti-gay' tweet, that wasn't what it was."
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Kolcheff concluded by telling those who took issue with the tweet that he was "down to agree to disagree," adding, "if you think I hate you because you're a certain way, you just couldn't be any more wrong."
The controversy has sparked a debate about the role of schools in discussing issues related to sex and gender, with some arguing that it is the responsibility of parents to have these conversations with their children. Others, however, believe that schools must educate students about these issues to promote acceptance and understanding.
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