Toxicity is an ongoing problem across the video game world, whether it be players in a random online match or cheating professionals in the middle of a tournament, just askTwitch streamer NICKMERCS. In the case of the latter, toxic professional players can typically find themselves on the receiving end of suspensions, fines, or even being put on a blacklist, effectively ending their participation in a respective game. It can be difficult getting off these blacklists, but that’s exactly what aCall of Duty: Warzoneprofessional is looking to do as Chandler ‘ClutchBelk’ Belk is appealing his current ban from Activision.
Call of Duty: Warzonelaunched in 2020, about five months after the release ofCall of Duty: Modern Warfareas the franchise’s new free-to-play battle royale option. The original version saw 150 players dropped into the fictional city of Verdansk, either in solo or team matches, and offered a fresh twist by giving players a chance to earn their way back after being killed by winning a one-on-one duel in the gulag. Since then, three additional maps have been added – Verdansk inBlack Ops: Cold Warand both Rebirth Island and Caldera inVanguard.
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The battle royale’s popularity led to Activision rapidly establishing a professional circuit for it, of which Belk was a regular part from December 2020 to September 2021. However, he was reportedly blacklisted by Activision after a back-and-forth with femaleWarzonepro and streamer SenseiSwishem led to Belk and his community mocking her. Belk has only played in smallerWarzonetournamentssince, due to the aforementioned ban, but he recently took to Twitter asking Activision for a second chance.
Dexerto then found a post from another user, asking Belk to apologize for his actions, prompting Swishem to point out Belk has her blocked on Twitter, and with regard to an apology, “the ball is in his court.”
The question is now whetherActivisionwill lift the reported ban outright or ask Belk to issue a statement addressing and apologizing for the interaction. It would not be surprising to see the publisher ask Belk for the latter as a good-faith gesture, both to the company and Swishem, of how he has changed his attitude since the interaction before letting him rejoin the bigger tournament circuit.
That said, and as Swishem pointed out, the ball is in Belk’s court, and there is no guarantee he will either issue such a statement or avoid another instance like this in the future. Players only need to look at the career ofxQcOWas an example of the latter who, despite his popularity as a streamer, has faced multiple bans across esports, social media, and streaming for offenses ranging from stream sniping to his infamous homophobic rant while part of the Overwatch League. Whether Belk’s career goes down a similar path, as said, is entirely up to him.
Call of Duty: Warzoneis currently available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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