For the most part, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 are free from pay-to-win elements. There are tons of skins that you can either earn or buy, but they're only cosmetics, and don't offer anything different in terms of gameplay. However, a recently added premium skin has caused quite a stir, as it offers an added advantage in terms of camouflage. The LA Thieves full-black skin is currently considered a bit OP when it comes to hiding, so Activision has decided to nerf it.
The LA Thieves skin – dubbed Roe 2.0 – is premium cosmetic inspired by the esports team. It costs $10 and is fully black, except for a small red logo on the chest. The problem with this is that an all-black skin is extremely hard to spot in Modern Warfare 2 or Warzone 2 maps, giving it an unfair advantage. However, the fact that you need to pay for it puts a layer of pay-to-win into the mix, and nobody likes that.
Now, in a recent blog, Activision revealed a nerfed version of the skin, featuring more red elements around the chest, shoulders, and head, making it more visible (thanks, PC Gamer). While this is a good change for overall balance, those who purchased the skin are understandably unhappy. They paid $10 for a skin which they knew would be helpful, but Activision went ahead and changed the product itself. This has prompted many of them to ask for refunds. It appears that many players are getting their money back, as long as they ask for a refund within 14 days of purchase.
The strange thing about this is that it's not the first time this has happened. Last year, Activision revealed a similar, full-black skin called Roze – hence the name of the current one – that caused the same issues and pay-to-win allegations in Warzone 1.0. Players complained that the skin gave an unfair advantage to those who owned it, making it harder to spot them amidst the chaos of the Warzone map. While the devs didn't mention that a change would be made with the LA Thieves skin, Activision released patch notes for the changes to the original Roze skin.