Neither Infinity Ward nor publisher Activision has confirmed the reason for the removal of the gesture, which was a popular way for interactive players to celebrate the end of a winning mission.
The gesture has been replaced with an emote called "crush," the news outlet reported.
The use of the "OK" gesture as a hate symbol dates back to 2017 when it gained traction on social media site 4chan, the Independent reported.
Members of the so-called "alt-right" are often captured in photographs making the gesture.
The OK symbol is described by the Anti-Defamation League as "a sincere expression of white supremacy
...the pernicious doctrine that laws were intended to be obeyed, that society works better when people don't pour shreiking from their places of worship every Friday for a weekend of rioting over insults real or imagined; and that cannibalism, beastiality, incest, murder, theft, rape, and similar activities are bad. A Dead White European (which invalidates his opinion) philosopher once opined that societies thrive when a person's word can be relied upon, and that a society which puts individual happinessfirst will invariably fail. Strangely enough, other successful societies, such as China, Japan, Korea, and those kinds of places could also be lumped with
white supremacistsocieties, since they push the same values...
," but the organization notes that "care must be taken not to jump to conclusions about the intent behind someone who has used the gesture," the paper reported.
On June 6, Infinity Ward announced on Twitter: "There is no place for racist content in our game. This is an effort we began with launch and we need to do a better job. We’re issuing thousands of daily bans of racist and hate-oriented names. But we know we have to do more."