Call of Duty fans have noticed that a questionable cosmetic in Black Ops Cold War was silently tweaked, with players suggesting that the “Scope It Out” calling card originally depicted a form of workplace sexual harassment.
As Activision Blizzard’s sexual discrimination lawsuit continues, Black Ops fans believe they’ve spotted an example of what they’re calling “corporate damage control.”
CoD players are familiar with calling card cosmetics representing their energy in lobbies and scorecards, but the developers may have changed their minds on letting a calling card represent their brand.
About a week ago, someone posted a Cold War calling card on Reddit and it immediately became a hot topic before being locked by moderators. Around a week later, the card — which showed two men seemingly checking out a female’s derriere — was adjusted in-game.
Controversial CoD calling card changed
“Scope It Out” calling card: before
The original post, by ‘ThePeterMissile,’ asked a simple question: “Wasn’t Season 5 released when California sued Activision?” The top response to that post was upvoted by hundreds, simply replying: “I think this is a good representation of how seriously they’re taking it.”
The “Scope It Out” cosmetic showed two zombies in professional, masculine attire at a water cooler, both staring at (or… scoping) the lower area of what seems to be a lady zombie’s backside. That type of behavior is considered by many to fall under “leering” and an example of workplace sexual harassment.
As aforementioned, this post was quickly locked by the mods and, within days, the calling card had been adjusted in-game. Now, as shared by ‘Jawkess,’ the cosmetic only features the two male zombies and the lady has been edited out.
“Scope It Out” calling card: after
Community members in the replies are not only drawing lines between the calling card’s removal and Activision’s ongoing lawsuit, but also between the timing of its removal and the timing of the post.
Overall, the cosmetic has been divisive. One user responded wondering what all the fuss was about: “What’s wrong with that? People are good-looking, even at companies.”
But, the overriding consensus seems to be that the original post was in “bad taste,” or was simply “tone deaf,” with the most upvoted comments suggesting that the change is a “good thing” given discourse surrounding the lawsuit and workplace toxicity.
