A fix for Modern Warfare 3's infamous 'Groot' skin is on the way

A Call of Duty skin that looks like Groot
(Image credit: Activision Blizzard)

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3's notorious Gaia skin, which inarguably bears likeness to the Guardians of the Galaxy character Groot and has thus earned it the dubious honor of being called the "Groot skin," will be disabled and updated, Sledgehammer Games says.

In a Reddit AMA, by far the most popular question fielded by an unfortunate community manager reads: "Oh the biggest one, what are you going to do about the Gaia skin and the problems it has brought forward to MW3 from MW2?"

The Reddit user is referring to the fact that the Gaia skin makes character models very dark and, depending on the environment and players involved, can partially obscure its wearers from view and make it difficult for them to be shot. And since the skin is a paid cosmetic, the community is rightfully decrying it as having a whiff of pay-to-win.

"Adjustments to Gaia and Gaia Blackcell Operator Skins are in the pipeline for Modern Warfare III," reads a reply from Sledgehammer Games. "In a future game update, we'll disable this item until said changes can be released to all players."

First introduced in Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 earlier this year, the Groot skin made its way over to the new shooter at launch and has been a pain point in the community since. It's unclear exactly how Sledgehammer plans to tweak the cosmetic, but it's probably safe to assume that, at the very least, they'll make it a little easier to spot in dimly lit environments.

In case you missed it, Modern Warfare 3 is giving out double weapon and battle pass XP this week, and you don't have to buy any gamer-brand garbage to enjoy it.

Jordan Gerblick

After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer, I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.