Activision has apologized for the inclusion of real news footage of the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 and confirmed the footage will be removed from the game in an update scheduled for November 12.
Modern Warfare 4, which launched worldwide on October 23, opens with a cinematic set in the fictional South Korean city of Hajin, depicting the emergency response to a fictional North Korean attack. To illustrate that fictional scenario, the sequence uses actual news coverage from the night of October 29, 2022, when a crowd crush in Seoul’s Itaewon nightlife district killed nearly 160 people and injured nearly 200 more during Halloween celebrations. Reporting on the footage describes clips of first responders performing CPR, victims being carried away on stretchers, and body bags on the street.
South Korean broadcaster MBC exposed the footage’s use on October 27. On October 29 — the fourth anniversary of the disaster — the 10.29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Association and families of the victims issued a joint statement condemning the decision, arguing that using such an event as material for a game made for entertainment is inappropriate, and asking Activision to remove the footage. In its first responses, Activision said the game used real news coverage to establish its fictional narrative and that it was not intended to reference or trivialize the Itaewon disaster or any other real-world tragedy. The game’s marketing leadership also initially defended the approach publicly as entertainment.
On October 30, Activision issued a formal apology in a statement to MBC. The company offered its deepest condolences and sincere apologies to the bereaved families, the victims, and everyone hurt or distressed by the footage’s inclusion, and confirmed the footage will be fully removed through the game update releasing November 12. The announced change covers the opening cinematic; Activision has not said what will replace the removed clips, and no other campaign content has been announced as changing.
The families’ association welcomed the decision to remove the footage, while noting it had not received a direct apology from the company. Until the November 12 update arrives, the opening cinematic remains in the game as shipped — meaning the footage will have been present from the October 23 launch through the anniversary itself and for roughly twenty days in total. The removal lands about a week after Modern Warfare 4’s Season 1 launch (Modern Warfare 4 Season 1 Drops November 6), and Proven Gamer’s launch-week coverage of the game is here (Modern Warfare 4 Leads the Charge) for readers catching up.
This story is about a real tragedy and the people still grieving it, and the facts above are the story: real footage of a disaster that killed nearly 160 people was used to set the scene for a fictional war, the families objected, and the publisher has apologized and committed to removing it. Proven Gamer will note the November 12 update when it lands.
Source: Activision statement to MBC, reported by Polygon, the BBC and The Korea Herald.
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