ThruDark, a clothing brand founded by former UK Special Forces operators Anthony ‘Staz’ Stazicker and Louis Tinsley, has launched a new Endeavour Tracer Pack.
This will include the Call of Duty (CoD) Endowment’s first ever UK operator skin, which will launch as a bundle in the upcoming Black Ops 6 game on October 25th 2024. The game also has a beta which opens today (August 30th) from 6pm BST.
The pack’s design has been guided by ThruDark and includes a ThruDark insignia weapon charm, weapon sticker and spray.
A separate ThruDark x Call of Duty Endowment physical apparel line will also be available. This will launch in October featuring Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 inspired T-shirts, hoodies and caps.
100% of Activision’s net proceeds for the in-game pack will support military veterans in the US and UK, and a portion of proceeds from the clothing collaboration also will go toward to the Endowment.
ThruDark Co-Founders, former UK Special Forces operators (as seen on SAS: Who Dares Wins) were consulted by the Call of Duty Endowment as part of the pack’s creation. The two have used their experience to aid in building the pack’s items, name and aesthetic in order to help create content that is as authentic as possible.
The Call of Duty Endowment is a non-profit organisation that raises awareness and funds for veteran employment through in-game initiatives and content. The new collaboration builds upon the Endowment’s ongoing mission to support US and UK military veterans to find meaningful employment upon leaving the Armed Forces.
CoD UK operator skin inspired by the Royal Marines Commandos and the Special Boat Service
ThruDark founders Staz and Louis have leveraged decades of military experience to personally design, develop and test each piece of ThruDark apparel.
For the UK operator skin in the Black Ops 6 Endeavour Tracer Pack, they drew inspiration from their time in the Royal Marines Commandos and the Special Boat Service, and selected pieces from within the ThruDark catalogue that are both functional and fitting to the Black Ops 6 narrative.
More specifically, they catered the operator look to the 1990s SBS teams who specialised in Maritime Security Operations. Since these teams operated on both land and sea, ThruDark ensured its operator was “of the water” by including a dive mask, emergency oxygen canister and chem lights within quick reach if the need to dive should arise.
Beneath the gear, the operator is cloaked in ThruDark’s apparel from the Stealth Balaclava face mask, through to the brand’s HeriTech Rib Knit Jumper which was made for the sea, and the HeriTech trousers which are constructed to be breathable for quick transitions in and out of the water.
The ThruDark logo, which appears as the weapon charm within the pack, combines the military heraldry of the Royal Marines beret badge with the ancient symbol of “antimony” – known as the “wolf of metals”. Antimony is formed from the Greek roots of “anti” and “monos” meaning “not alone.” The hope is that players equip this charm and remember they are never alone in whatever challenge awaits them.
The logo is then enclosed within a circle representing the brotherhood of arms for those who served and camaraderie of all who wear ThruDark gear to “Endeavour Through Adversity”.
How to get the CoD Endowment Endeavour Tracer Pack and UK operator skin, and what’s in the bundle
The Call of Duty Endowment Endeavour: Tracer Pack is an exclusive in-game bundle for Call of Duty Black Ops 6, which launches on October 25th 2024.
This limited-edition bundle includes:
- ThruDark insignia ‘Not Alone’ weapon charm
- ‘Feeling Froggy’ weapon sticker
- ‘Going Commando’ spray
- Endowment’s first ever UK operator skin, inspired by the legendary 1990s SBS teams
To get the bundle, you will be able to buy it from the in-game shop once Black Ops 6 launches. It’s not clear what the price of the bundle will be – we have asked ThruDark and will update this article if we hear back.
As a comparison, the existing Call of Duty Endowment (C.O.D.E.) Knight Recon: Tracer Pack currently costs £16.79 in the in-game shop for Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone.
A separate physical ThruDark x Call of Duty Endowment apparel line will also be available.
‘We were eager to develop the CoD Endowment’s first UK operator skin to directly benefit fellow veterans’
Louis Tinsley, ThruDark Co-Founder, said: “Having ThruDark clothing and identifiers featured in Call of Duty is incredibly exciting and a prime opportunity to share our mantra and maxim of ‘Endeavour Through Adversity’. Like the best of plans, our interests were aligned from the beginning.
“As military veterans, the mission of the Call of Duty Endowment resonates deeply with our own brand and beliefs so we were more than eager to get to work on developing the Call of Duty Endowment’s first-ever UK operator skin knowing our efforts would directly benefit fellow veterans across the UK and US seeking meaningful employment.”
“Working with a giant like Call of Duty Endowment is a real pinch-me moment for us here at ThruDark. Not only to be recognised for our credibility and experience but to put this to good use in supporting veterans getting back to work is something we’re incredibly proud to be involved with,” added Anthony Stazicker CGC, ThruDark Co-Founder.
There’s more detail from Louis Tinsley and Jason ‘Foxy’ Fox from ThruDark this interview here:
“Sharing their belief that veterans are cut from special cloth, the Endowment is proud to team up with ThruDark on the Call of Duty Endowment Endeavour Tracer Pack to raise funds and awareness for veteran employment. We’re excited for our players to experience this pack with the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6,” commented Dan Goldenberg, President, Call of Duty Endowment.
US Army win CODE Bowl 2024 as RAF finish second
The news comes as the US Army won the Call of Duty Endowment’s 2024 Bowl esports tournament, with the UK’s Royal Air Force (RAF) finishing as runners-up.
The British Army finished fifth, with both them and the RAF bootcamping at British Esports’ Sunderland facility (the National Esports Performance Campus, or NEPC) ahead of the tournament.
The CODE Bowl V event was presented by USAA, featuring US, UK and Canadian esports teams competing for the CODE Bowl trophy.
Tyler ‘TeeP’ Polchow also won the Solo Yolo tournament.
The Endowment is also celebrating five years of CODE Bowl and 15 years of veteran impact.
There’s more on the CODE Bowl 2024 tournament on the Forces News website:
Killer Mike raps in music video for ‘Detonator’ Black Ops 6 song as Activision partners with Mutiny agency
In other Call of Duty news this week, Activision and creative agency partner Mutiny (a Trailer Park Group company, with offices in the UK and elsewhere) have partnered with Killer Mike, 2024 Grammy-Award-winning artist for Rap Album of the Year.
They have developed a full-length companion music video for Killer Mike’s original song titled ‘Detonator’ and inspired by Black Ops 6.
The track debuted this week following Call of Duty’s annual fan event, Call of Duty: Next, in Washington, DC – reaching a live audience and fans watching the livestream. It’s out now.
The track, titled ‘Detonator,’ is produced by Killer Mike’s long-time creative partner of Run the Jewels, EL-P, marking the first collaboration between the duo since 2020.
“When Activision told me the theme of the game and what they were looking for I knew exactly who to call, plus I’ve been itching to rap on some El-P beats,” said Killer Mike.
According to a press release, the track showcases Killer Mike’s flow and is ‘a rallying cry for those living under the thumb of leaders who lie and manipulate the masses. The lyrics speak to the themes of political unrest and make specific nods and references to deeper in-game lore; often using double or even triple entendre to create a layered story fans can delve deeper into on repeat listens.’
The video, which stars Killer Mike and features Rock D the Legend, is set in the shadowy underbelly of ’90s Washington DC, and shot in monochrome black and white to reflect the gritty darkness of the Black Ops 6 story.
The video portrays Killer Mike speaking truth to power and rallying the masses as his message spreads like a virus across the streets, screens, and monuments of the US capital. The music video has some secrets/easter eggs to be discovered.
“Call of Duty has become far more than a video game, influencing many aspects of broader culture, especially music and hip-hop. With Black Ops 6 we knew we needed to work with an artist who had a strong voice given the political backdrop of the game and Killer Mike was the perfect artist to bring this project to life as he layered complex themes of control, power, corruption, and greed into the lyrics of the song,” said Tyler Bahl, SVP and head of Activision marketing.
Related article: The history of UK Call of Duty esports
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
