Nicki Minaj is coming to Call of Duty: Warzone and Modern Warfare 2 as an Operator — the franchise’s first “self-named female Operator,” publisher Activision revealed Thursday. While numerous real-life celebrities have appeared in Call of Duty games over the years, including Snoop Dogg, Lionel Messi, and Kevin Durant, the only women to appear as Operators have been fictional. Until Nicki.
Minaj will be featured in Warzone and Modern Warfare 2 as part of the game’s “50 Years of Hip Hop Celebration,” where she’ll be joined by Snoop Dogg and 21 Savage as Operators. Call of Duty’s developers warned that Minaj’s appearance in the game “is not ‘Chill Nicki’; this is Red Ruby Da Sleeze” — a reference to the artist’s latest alter ego from her recent music video.
Minaj will have her own store bundle at some point during season 5 of Warzone and Modern Warfare 2 — which will likely include that Barbie-pink assault rifle. (Fitting for “The Harajuku Barbie,” another of Nicki’s personas.)
Nicki’s arrival in Call of Duty was heralded during a promo video released last year ahead of Modern Warfare 2’s launch. That clip, “Squad Up,” featured the rapper alongside fellow artists, athletes, and actors, including Lil Baby, Bukayo Saka, and Pete Davidson, offering a glimmer of hope that the Bupkis star could also come to Call of Duty some day.
Snoop Dogg’s new Operator in Warzone and Modern Warfare 2 marks his third appearance in the shooter series. Back in 2014, Snoop broke ground as one of the first celebrity voice packs for multiplayer in Call of Duty: Ghosts. The rapper returned to the franchise last year, in World War II form, as an Operator for Call of Duty: Vanguard and Warzone.
Season 5 of Call of Duty will also include a reveal of this year’s new game — aka Call of Duty 2023, aka Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 — in Warzone.
