Activision Will Remove Real-World Disaster Footage From Modern Warfare 4’s Opening Cinematic After Backlash

Activision has confirmed that the opening cinematic of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will be changed in an upcoming update, after it emerged that the sequence included real news footage from the 2022 Seoul Halloween crowd crush that killed 160 people. The publisher made the announcement following criticism from victims’ families in South Korea, and the fix is set to arrive alongside Modern Warfare 4’s first major update on November 12.

What the Opening Cinematic Shows

Modern Warfare 4 launched on October 23, with a single-player campaign built around a fictional invasion of South Korea by North Korea. To set that story in motion, the opening cinematic blends original footage with real news clips, and among them were scenes from the crowd crush that occurred in Seoul’s Itaewon neighborhood during Halloween celebrations in October 2022, when a surge of people through the district’s narrow alleys left 160 dead and nearly 200 injured.

Modern Warfare 4’s campaign is built around a fictional war on the Korean peninsula, the backdrop its opening cinematic is being edited to handle more carefully.

Families Called the Decision Inappropriate

According to a Korea Herald report, word of the footage spread quickly among survivors and relatives of the victims. Two organizations formed in the aftermath of the tragedy, the 10.29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Association and the Citizens’ Countermeasures Meeting, issued a joint statement reported by the BBC, arguing that using the disaster as material for an entertainment product was inappropriate and calling on Activision to take corrective action without delay.

Activision Apologizes and Sets a Fix Date

Activision responded directly to the criticism, saying the footage was never intended to “reference or trivialize” the real-world tragedy and was only included to help establish the campaign’s fictional premise. The publisher also apologized to the bereaved families, victims and everyone affected by the incident, and confirmed the clips will be removed once Modern Warfare 4’s November 12 update rolls out.

This Halloween also fell close to the fourth anniversary of the Itaewon tragedy, with bereaved families and community organizers gathering across Seoul to remember those who died. For a shooter whose campaign reviews praised how seriously it handles its real-world setting, the backlash is a reminder of how carefully that kind of material needs to be sourced, and Activision now has a little under two weeks to make it right.

Keep the adventure going! Check out more Gaming News on Gamersuniverse.

Picture Source: Activision