Banned Call of Duty Operator skin reappears due to rare store glitch

Call of Duty users have spotted NICKMERCS’ banned Operator skin in the in-game store, though it’s a glitch that only appears for some players.

Prominent content creator and Warzone streamer NICKMERCS joined MW2 and Warzone 2 as an Operator in May 2023. Players could purchase the DLC in a bundle that included other extras like themed weapon blueprints.

NICKMERCS’ stint as a Call of Duty Operator was short-lived, though, due to his controversial comments about the LGBTQ community during Pride Month.

Article continues after ad

Activision pulled the skin from sale on June 8, 2023, one day after the comment went viral on social media. However, select players claim they have seen the bundle reappear in the COD storefront.

NICKMERCS skin spotted in COD store – but it’s not purchasable

🚨THEY BROUGHT IT BACK!!!🚨
@CallofDuty brought back the @NICKMERCS bundle?! Does that mean that @Activision is okay with leaving the kids alone now?

vid sent to me by a viewer several minutes ago pic.twitter.com/2J4tAqMxIU

— ItsHapa (@ItsHapa) March 24, 2025

On Sunday, March 23, Call of Duty content creator ItsHapa shared footage they received of NICKMERCS’ bundle in the current COD store.

This led to speculation that Activision would sell the skin again, though many fans quickly identified it as little more than an error since not everyone could see the bundle in-game.

Article continues after ad

Dexerto can confirm that this is indeed a glitch and not representative of the Operator’s return. What’s more, an Activision representative confirmed that the bug has only appeared to hackers who already own the NICKMERCS bundle, thus the content remains unavailable to purchase.

NICKMERCS was not the only streamer to have their Operator bundle removed from sale amid the controversy, either. In solidarity with his longtime friend, TimTheTatman asked Activision to pull his Operator from Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 as well, a request the publisher soon thereafter granted.

Related

Warzone player calls disabled paid operator skin “insulting”

Article continues after ad

This apparently hacker-specific glitch has surfaced at a time when Warzone as a whole is on the cusp of change. The battle royale’s Season 3 update will finally bring back the Verdansk map; plus, there’s also reason to believe that an iconic Black Ops Operator will soon return.