Nickmercs Says He Won't Play Call of Duty Black Ops 6
Nearly all the biggest FPS streamers on every platform have flocked to the latest entry in the Call of Duty franchise — with one notable exception. It appears that popular battle royale streamer Nickmercs has no intention of playing Black Ops 6.
While playing Apex Legends on stream, Nickmercs responded to a message from his chat room wondering when the broadcaster would be streaming the new game.
He stated that this would be "the first year in a long time" where he would not play the new Call of Duty title.
Nickmercs speaks on Black Ops 6
— Jake Lucky (@JakeSucky) October 25, 2024
"I don't give a f*ck about that new Call of Duty... this will be the first year in a long time where I actually don't play it" pic.twitter.com/TzxY6NSs3y
In June of 2023, Nickmercs had his own skin removed from Modern Warfare 3 following backlash to anti-LGBTQ comments he made on X/Twitter. Earlier this year, he was temporarily banned on Twitch for similar comments.
He continued that while he had tried the game out in beta and enjoyed it he "didn't love it." Reaction both in his chat and on social media was skeptical, with many assuming that the streamer will return to Call of Duty within the next few weeks.
He will play within two weeks, I’d bet my life savings on it
— Sean Murphy (@seanhalfcourt) October 25, 2024
Nickmercs first rose to popularity as a Fortnite streamer before transitioning to Call of Duty Warzone in 2020. In 2023, the year his skin was removed, Apex Legends became his most-played game on stream. According to SullyGnome, Apex Legends continues to lead the way in 2024, accounting for 41% of his broadcast time compared to 30% for Warzone.
While Warzone will receive a major update next month tied to Black Ops 6, the games are not completely tied to one another. It is possible that Nickmercs will continue to dabble in Warzone without exploring the multiplayer for Black Ops 6 itself.
At time of writing, the Call of Duty Black Ops 6 category on Twitch has 365K concurrent viewers, making it the second most-watched category behind Just Chatting.
Trent has covered esports since the birth of the LCS. He also led content strategy and served as Senior Writer for The Esports Observer and Sports Business Journal, and worked on the development team for Rushdown Revolt.