Games like Call of Duty and Fortnite are essentially the MCU of video games, with how many lucrative collaborations they have with Hollywood celebrities. Megan Thee Stallion, however, turned down that deal with Call of Duty because of a rather personal reason: she didn’t want her character to be “shootable,” and the franchise ended up going with Nicki Minaj instead.
The 30-year-old rapper and songwriter’s legal camp revealed this information on November 19 in a recent trial for the defamation case against blogger Milagro Gramz, as reported by legal journalist Meghann Cuniff. Roc Nation Senior VP Daniel Kinney also detailed several brand deals that Megan Thee Stallion declined following her 2020 shooting incident, with the cancellation of the Call of Duty deal being the most notable.
Kinney testified that Megan initially entertained the Call of Duty offer, but immediately withdrew when she realized players would be able to shoot her digital likeness. “That triggered her, and she full stop said, ‘I’m not doing this,'” Kinney recalled, noting that the option was emotionally overwhelming for the artist, who has been diagnosed with PTSD after the alleged shooting incident.
For the record, Megan entered intensive Dialectical Behavior Therapy after being shot by rapper Tory Lanez, where the treatment program cost roughly $240,000 and helped her process her trauma. Megan has accused blogger Milagro Gramz of being a “paid surrogate” for Lanez, hence the current trial. Psychologist Dr. Lenore Walker, who diagnosed the rapper with PTSD, has linked her symptoms not only to the shooting but also to the earlier deaths of her mother and grandmother.
People online were pointing out the missed opportunity
Currently, the trial between Milagro Gramz and Megan Thee Stallion is still ongoing, but it appears people online are more concerned with how Megan Thee Stallion turned down the Call of Duty deal. Some were questioning her reason, though the thought of her likeness being shot at online could be adding to her trauma. Nevertheless, people made fun of Megan’s legal camp for supposedly not knowing what Call of Duty was.
“What she thought the game was about? Twerking? 😭” mocks an X user, with another replying, “According to her lawyers. No one knew it was a shooting game 😂” assumes another commenter. “Chileee the rep from ROC Nation said it was a ‘social game’ like since when Call of Duty was a spin off of Sims” rants an X critic.
In any case, it’s not clear whether Megan Thee Stallion explicitly regrets missing out on the Call of Duty deal, though Milagro Gramz’s lawyers have insinuated that Megan is upset that the deal went to Nicki Minaj, as the two have a “very public beef” with each other. Minaj notably made a diss track against Megan Thee Stallion called “Big Foot” since Lanez shot Megan in the foot.
