A U.S. Army Drill Sergeant that helped create Modern Warfare 2’s ‘Squad Up’ trailer claims Activision employees talked down on Dr Disrespect during their work.
Just prior to the launch of Modern Warfare 2, Activision pushed out the live-action ‘Squad Up’ trailer featuring celebs like Lil Baby and Nicki Minaj. Throughout the 90-second clip, many famous personalities are seen chanting along to the same theme, a theme that was largely created by a US Drill Sergeant that streams under the name ‘DS_DePalo.’
During one of his most recent broadcasts on Twitch, the Drill Sergeant recounted their experience with Activision, not only in helping “direct” the Squad Up video, but also in the celebrations that followed with the CoD NEXT event. A global spectacle that featured top CoD content creators, except for the notable omission of Dr Disrespect.
“The last day I was in LA, they brought me to Santa Monica for the CoD NEXT event where they had all the streamers in a warehouse playing the game,” he said on Twitch. “NICKMERCS was there, Ninja was there, Nadia was there, all the big-name streamers were there. I was there in my uniform, I was leading in a cadence, they recorded a bunch of stuff there.”
After his work was done for the day, an Activision employee allegedly came up and asked if there was anyone in particular he’d like to meet at the event. Having only just become familiar with the world of streaming, just a handful of stars came to mind. The likes of Ninja and NICKMERCS were near the top of his list, but it was Dr Disrespect that was the “first name out [of his] mouth.”
Immediately, the Activision rep shut him down. “No, he’s not here,” he supposedly responded. “We didn’t invite him. All he does is talk sh** about our games.”
Disappointed by the news, the Drill Sergeant fired back. “The guy’s not here to defend himself, so let’s not talk sh** about him.”
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At the time, Doc’s attendance was a major talking point in the CoD community. Having not been invited to the event, the YouTube streamer responded to the news in a heartfelt manner. Back in September, Dr Disrespect claimed he only ever “talks sh** about CoD” because he cares about the franchise.
“When I’m sitting there and I’m ripping Call of Duty apart, I’m shredding them… It’s because I love Call of Duty and I want it to be the best. A lot of people don’t get that.” One of those people now appears to be the Activision employee, as Doc’s earlier comments could’ve been a direct response to those who shot down his invitation.
Fortunately for the Drill Sergeant, however, he still made the most of the CoD NEXT event and had a wonderful time meeting both Ninja and NICKMERCS. After learning he had a son at home, Nick even handed him his personalized, one-of-one CoD NEXT backpack with a NICKMERCS tag on it.
“Both those guys were super nice. But I wish I could’ve got to meet Dr Disrespect. He’s one of the only guys who I actually watch.”
Given Doc’s absence from the more recent Warzone 2 creator event, it doesn’t appear this bridge has been mended with Activision. Only time will tell if he’s ever invited back to their CoD celebrations moving forward.