Call of Duty to remove Seoul crush footage after families’ backlash

Activision will remove real footage of Seoul’s 2022 Itaewon crowd crush from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 in an update on 12 November, after families of those killed objected to its use in the game.

The footage appeared in the opening scene, which used news coverage of the disaster to set up a fictional North Korean invasion. The crush killed almost 160 people. Bereaved families said they were “appalled” that images of rescue efforts and victims had been used in a game made for entertainment.

Activision apologised to the families and others hurt by the incident, and said it had not intended to reference or trivialise the disaster. The 10.29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Association welcomed the removal, but told the BBC it had not received a direct apology from the company.

The families had previously called on Activision to take corrective action, saying the footage showed people performing CPR and victims lying in the street. Their earlier appeal followed the game’s release last week.

The crush happened in the narrow alleys of Seoul’s Itaewon district during Halloween celebrations in 2022, when more than 100,000 people went to the area. Modern Warfare 4 has also faced criticism for depicting North Korea invading South Korea, whose conflict remains unresolved decades after fighting stopped in 1953.