Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Is Bringing Nicki Minaj, Snoop Dogg, 21 Savage

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is bringing popular rappers into the game, in celebration of 50 years of Hip-Hop music. As part of its Season 5 update, coming August 2, Activision confirmed that Snoop Dogg and Nicki Minaj will be joining the game and its battle royale counterpart, Warzone 2.0, as playable operators. Other major additions include three new multiplayer maps and several ‘War Track' packs composed of hip-hop music to listen to in-game. The studio also teased a third operator by only showing their silhouette, but Activision's blog post reveals it's 21 Savage. No pricing details have been confirmed at this time but like previous collaborations, they should be available to buy as separate bundles.

Minaj's appearance in Call of Duty was, sort of, signalled in a promo video from last year, before Modern Warfare II dropped worldwide. As per the official blog post, the artist's look is inspired by her latest alter ego ‘Red Ruby Da Sleeze,' which coincidentally timed perfectly with the Barbie movie's release, which led to an internet obsession with the colour pink and everything sassy. Even her assault rifle is bright pink coloured, details of which will be revealed later. Meanwhile, this marks the third in-game appearance for Snoop Dogg; he first appeared as a multiplayer announcer in Call of Duty: Ghosts and then went on to appear in Call of Duty: Vanguard and Mobile. Snoop Dogg's rifle in the upcoming collaboration is a silenced, blue-tinted one, adorned with gold engravings that of course resemble a marijuana leaf.

Call of Duty is no stranger to weird collaborations, having recently teamed up with the Amazon Prime Video series The Boys to bring Homelander, Starlight, and Black Noir into the game — each with their own brutal finishers like laser eyes. Other fun crossovers include the Argentinian footballer Lionel Messi, outfits based on the Attack on Titan anime, and even adding Godzilla to the map as part of a limited-time mode in 2022. With more brand partnerships, we can only expect more outlandish operators to flood the streets, akin to how Fortnite's been doing it for years now.

Season 5 also brings three new multiplayer maps — Livestock, an offshore Petrov Oil Rig, and Harbor flush with fish markets and shipping areas. Be prepared for some new game modes as well, starting with Havoc, which while fashioned like a classic arena shooter, injects a random selection of modifiers that's aimed at making gameplay frenetic. Your operator's jump heights could be affected to simulate if they were walking on the moon, landing from high altitudes might cause a grenade-like explosion around you, and more. There are some ‘big' capture-the-flag modes coming your way, alongside Gunfight Variants, which pits you in close-quarters 2v2 and 4v4 matchups. Expect a battle pass as well, while Warzone 2.0 adds a dirt bike and an MRAP armoured vehicle to its catalogue.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's season 5 event goes live August 2 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X.