Activision has confirmed that it will be removing real-life news footage of the 2022 crush in Itaewon from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 following backlash.
On October 29, 2022, a crowd crush happened in the Itaewon neighborhood of Seoul, South Korea during Halloween festivities which drew over 100,000 people to the area. This crush resulted in the deaths of 160 people, and a further 196 people were injured during the event marking one of the deadliest disasters in the country's history.
Almost exactly four years on from the incident, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 has caused controversy by including a video of rescue efforts following the event as part of an in-universe news report at the end of the game's first mission. The footage contains people performing CPR, bodybags lining the streets and people being wheeled on a stretcher.
The bereaved families issued a statement earlier this week (via BBC News), saying, "We cannot help but be appalled that the chaotic and desperate scene, in which many citizens at the site performed CPR to save one another and victims lay on the freezing street, was used as it was to create a scene in a game." It adds, "Using such an event as material for a game made for entertainment is in itself highly inappropriate and senseless," and continues, "If the game developer has even a minimum of courtesy and empathy towards the victims, it should take corrective action without delay."
In a statement to BBC News, Activision confirms the use of the real-life footage, saying it was used "to establish the game's fictional narrative" but insists that the inclusion was "not intended to reference or trivialise the Itaewon disaster or any other real-world tragedy in any way, shape or form." Activision offers condolences to the families and victims of the incident and confirms the footage will be removed from Modern Warfare 4.
Activision and Infinity Ward have previously caused controversy by referencing real-life events in their games. 2019's Modern Warfare reboot was accused of attempting to rewrite history after having the US-led attacks on a highway between Kuwait and Iraq in 1991, dubbed the Highway of Death – which is the name it is referenced by in-game – mentioned as a Russian attack.
The 10.29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Association told the BBC that the group welcomed Activision's decision, but that the publisher has not reached out with a direct apology.
