stealth nerf

stealth nerf (third-person singular simple present stealth nerfs, present participle stealth nerfing, simple past and past participle stealth nerfed)

1. (transitive, slang, video games) To cripple or weaken an element of a video game (such as a character, a weapon, or a spell) without announcing the change to the playerbase.

stealth nerf (plural stealth nerfs)

1. (slang, video games) The weakening or worsening of an element of a video game (a character, a weapon, a spell, etc.) in an update without the change being announced to the players of the game.