The ever-thrilling world of Call of Duty now faces another stir bubbling in the simmering cauldron of player grievances. This time, the bone of contention is none other than an operator skin called Gaia, but more famously referred to by the Call of Duty community as "Evil Groot" because of its tree-like and branch-filled appearance.
This skin debuted in Season 6 of the game, aligning well with the eerie tone set for the Halloween season. Paid bundles accompanied the season, introducing spicy cosmetics from Doom, Diablo, and Evil Dead. But it was the addition of the "Evil Groot" skin through the battle pass that sparked the most controversy and left a sour taste in the mouths of devoted Call of Duty gamers.
The issue with the "Evil Groot" skin is its challenging visibility. It has a dark wooden color and irregular gaps between its branches, making it extremely hard to detect, especially indoors and against similarly wood-colored backgrounds. Players have asserted that there are instances when it becomes wholly impossible to see the skin, thus presenting an unfair advantage to those who can afford this clever camouflage.
Following the eruption of discontentment, Activision tried implementing a damage-control strategy with a patch on October 11. The patch strove to improve the visibility of the base skin by reflecting the same level of visibility as the BlackCell skin. However, this action did not fully appease the community, who still saw the skin as a pay-to-win strategy.
The wave of disagreement over Avtivision’s inclusion of “Evil Groot” isn't, however, a new movement in the player community. A similar controversy previously arose with the introduction of the Roze skin, which marked the beginning of a series of murky cosmetics. This time, however, the uproar is even greater, with some decrying the “Evil Groot” as possibly the most significant pay-to-win skin of the decade.
Though this dispute around the Gaia skin dominates discourse, there is also other news from the Call of Duty camp. Warzone 2 is thrilled to welcome back its fans to enjoy exploring two much-loved maps – Fortune's Keep and Rebirth Island. However, this decision was a topic of mixed feelings for some players.
On a brighter note, the new Urzikstan map seems to be well-received by the majority of Warzone participants. Lauded for its cool traversal options, it appears to be an exciting addition to the gameplay.
Before wrapping up in the world of Call of Duty, it is worth mentioning that Activision had plans in place for a minimum of four more years of annual Call Of Duty games. However, this might take a different turn now that Microsoft has purchased the company. It is a patience game to see how this dynamic will affect the future of Call of Duty.
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