ActivisionThe goofy skin debate in Call of Duty has been sparked again by a Christmas skin coming to Black Ops 7, and the community is divided.
Skins and their realism has been one of the hottest topics in CoD in recent years. Some fans have welcomed the arrival of more outrageous skins, including crossovers with the likes of Beavis and Butt-Head, while others feel it ruins the gritty aesthetic of the game.
This all came to a head when Treyarch announced that cosmetics from Black Ops 6 would carry over to Black Ops 7. The backlash was so strong that the decision was later changed, in an effort to make this year’s title more “authentic.”
But it seems that everyone has a different idea of what an ‘authentic’ Call of Duty skin looks like, and a new Christmas outfit has split the playerbase.
Shivers Christmas skin splits Black Ops 7 community
On December 15, the Sinister Solstice bundle was added to the store, which contains the Shivers Operator skin. This costume for Nikolai, a main character in the ongoing Zombies storyline, gives him an evil snowman mask, complete with a bloody grin, glowing eyes, and a Christmas hat.
Although it’s a far cry from the crossover skins we saw in BO6, many players feel that the skin looks out of place in Black Ops 7, and goes back on the promise of more appropriate bundles.
Lmaooooo what happened to no more goofy skins???” asked one player on X.
“That was quick,” said another on Reddit, as this skin arrived just over a month after launch, while another replied: “This isn’t f***ing Fortnite and I’m tired of the bait and switch.”
Meanwhile, there were also plenty of players who defended the item. Some pointed out that the devs never explicitly said they would be sticking to mil-sim skins, while others argued that Shivers isn’t the kind of skin the community should be slamming.
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“It’s just a guy with a mask on, idk why it’s getting hate,” posted one player, while another agreed: “Fine by me. Anime and Ninja Turtles are what took me out of it in Bo6. This one is just the usual COD holiday fun.”
“Yeah there’s a difference between an operator wearing a mask and being an actual snowman monster like in BO6,” said a third.
It’s unlikely that this debate is going to end anytime soon, and with more events planned and a Fallout crossover reportedly in the works, there will likely be even more skins added in the coming weeks.