Call of Duty faces boycott for cutting ties with top streamer who criticized Pride in schools
The school board's vote came after a mass brawl outside a meeting last week
Call of Duty responded by removing his content from the game's official store
Nick Kolcheff, who has four million YouTube subscribers, said a California school board which voted for LGBT-focused lessons should 'leave little children alone'
Call of Duty has cut ties with a prominent streamer after he tweeted criticism of a California school board's decision to recognize Pride month.
Nick Kolcheff, who plays under the handle FaZe Nickmercs and has four million YouTube subscribers, had a partnership with the blockbuster game canned after he tweeted: 'They should leave little children alone. That's the real issue.'
He was responding to footage of a mass brawl outside a board meeting of Glendale Unified School District on June 6. The board voted in favor of recognizing June as Pride month while LGBT-rights groups and counter protesters clashed over the motion outside.
Call of Duty announced on Thursday it had removed Kolcheff's content from the game's official store over his criticism of the board.
The announcement triggered an immediate backlash from other prominent streamers and fans. It threatened to drag the game into a firestorm similar to recent controversies at Target and Bud Light.
Nick Kolcheff (pictured with his wife), who plays under the handle FaZe Nickmercs, had a partnership with Call of Duty canned after he criticized a school board's decision to recognize Pride month with 'lessons and activities' focused on the LGBT community
He was responding to footage of a mass brawl outside a board meeting of Glendale Unified School District on June 6
Call of Duty ended its partnership with Kolcheff and said it was 'focused on celebrating Pride with our employees and our community'
The Glendale school district unanimously voted on Tuesday to recognize June as Pride month and 'support lessons and activities that engage students in meaningful learning about the accomplishments of the LGBTQ+ community and the experiences of our LGBTQ+ students, employees, and families'.
Their were ugly scenes outside the meeting as a standoff between around 200 demonstrators turned violent. Three people were later charged over the brawl.
Supporters of the Pride vote clashed with opponents who claimed LGBT themes should not be in the curriculum.
On Wednesday, Kolcheff, 32, who is originally from Detroit, Michigan, said on Twitter: 'They should leave little children alone. That's the real issue.'
His tweet, which appeared to be aimed at the school board members, amassed 83,000 likes but drew mixed responses.
The following day, Call of Duty said: 'Due to recent events, we have removed the 'NICKMERCS Operator' bundle from the Modern Warfare II and Warzone store. We are focused on celebrating PRIDE with our employees and our community.'
The tweet referred to its removed of in-game add-ons which allow players to customize their characters with items inspired by Kolcheff.
One fellow YouTuber responded: 'He said to leave the kids alone and this is how you respond…. Interesting…'
Some said they would no longer buy Call of Duty games.
Others said they are regularly subjected to abuse while playing the game online asked for more to be done about that.
On Friday, Kolcheff said: 'Friends are created in good times, but families are built through adversity. Appreciate all of you that have my back, understand my position as a new father & recognize the love I have for all. Ain't no hate in this heart.'
Call of Duty is published by Activision, which had revenues of nearly $9 billion in 2021. The latest instalment of the game is thought to have in excess of 100 million monthly users and top streamers can earn millions of dollars per years.
The Call of Duty debacle comes after Target was boycotted for selling 'tuck-friendly' women's swimwear in its Pride collection
Bud Light could see a permanent 15 percent dent is sales amid backlash over its controversial partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney
The debacle is just the latest to grip a company in Pride month.
Target's market value has fallen $15 billion after a backlash to its Pride range, which included 'tuck-friendly' women's swimwear.
The retailer's share price now sits at around $126, down from a high of almost $162 last month.
Before the becoming engulfed in the controversy Target's market value stood at over $74 billion, according to Dow Jones Market Data Group. Its market cap now sits at just $54 billion.
And that came as Bud Light and its parent company, Anheuser-Busch, continue to suffer over the beer's partnership with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Analysts say the beer's sales may never fully recover after a huge nationwide boycott.
Source: Daily Mail
