Call of Duty: Modern Warfare's tacky Border War skin has been renamed

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The anti-immigration theme is no more.

(Image credit: Activision)

Even in a sometimes jingoistic series like Call of Duty, Modern Warfare and Warzone's Border War skin seemed massively tasteless, and after plenty of criticism Infinity Ward has acquiesced and renamed it. 

The skin, which arrived in Season 3 a few months ago, has been accused of glorifying the police—making Infinity Ward's supportive statement on Black Lives Matter ring hollow—and promoting the current US regime's aggressive position on immigration. 

It let players cosplay as a cowboy cop, accompanied by a rather chilling description: "Show them the error of their ways and make them pay with D-Day's Border War operator skin." Regardless of Infinity Ward's intention, that sure reads like it's celebrating violence against illegal immigrants. 

On Tuesday, Infinity Ward announced that the name and description had been changed, along with some bug fixes. 

The skin itself has not been altered, but now it's called Home on the Range. The new description reads: "Play along with the deer and the antelope with the Home on the Range D-Day operator skin."

It's an awkward fix and the description doesn't really make sense for a skin that is still, obviously, inspired by the US Border Patrol. I'll take dumb over cruel, though. 

Last month, Infinity Ward also acknowledged it had to do more to tackle racist abuse in Modern Warfare, outlining some steps it was taking, including more permanent bans and more resources to monitor and ID racist content. Last week, it removed the 'OK' gesture, which has become a symbol of white supremacy. 

Fraser Brown
Fraser Brown
Online Editor

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.