Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone matches now begin with Infinity Ward's Black Lives Matter statement

Call of Duty Warzone helicopters removed
(Image credit: Activision)

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has received a new update from Infinity Ward, with an in-game statement in support of the Black Lives Matter protests now appearing at the start of every multiplayer match, including those in Call of Duty: Warzone

There’s a new loading screen from r/CODWarzone

“The systemic inequalities our community experiences are once again center stage. Call of Duty and Infinity Ward stand for equality and inclusion." reads the statement. "We stand against the racism and injustice our Black community endures. Until change happens and Black Lives Matter, we will never truly be the community we strive to be."

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(Image credit: Activision)

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The update arrives after Activision announced it would be delaying both Call of Duty: Modern Warfare season 4 and Call of Duty: Mobile season 7, explaining that "now is not the time" to focus on distractions as protests continue across the globe. 

Infinity Ward also revealed more yesterday about the steps it would be taking to address and crack down on the racist usernames that are found amongst its playerbase, admitting that it "needs to do more" to tackle "repeat offenders".

Similarly, 2K Games is offering free in-game clothing for NBA 2K players in support of Black Lives Matter, with a new bundle available on the NBA Store, featuring three t-shirts bearing the words "I Can't Breathe", "Say Their Names", and "Black Lives Matter" respectively. 

Free Black Lives Matter shirts will be available at Swag's after online gameplay is turned on. from r/NBA2k

Many studios and companies across the industry have offered their solidarity with the movement, but Infinity Ward and NBA 2K are the first we've seen express their support through more tangible in-game updates. It's likely that we'll see more follow suit in the days ahead.

For more, check out the best Call of Duty games in the series' history, or find out what we've been playing in this unusual times via the latest episode of Trending Topics below. 

Alex Avard

I'm GamesRadar's Features Writer, which makes me responsible for gracing the internet with as many of my words as possible, including reviews, previews, interviews, and more. Lucky internet!