Activision apologized Friday and agreed to strip real footage of South Korea's 2022 Itaewon crowd crush from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, bowing to pressure from bereaved families.
Released last week, the game opened with footage of a paramedic giving CPR to a victim of the crowd crush, who was lying on the street. To set the scene for its fictional account of a North Korean attack on Seoul, the opening sequence used actual news coverage of the disaster.
During Halloween festivities on 29 October 2022, the Itaewon crowd crush killed 159 people in a narrow alleyway in Seoul's nightlife district. Four years ago, more than 100,000 people had gone to the area to celebrate Halloween. The crowd became so dense that movement was impossible for some, while others struggled to breathe.
The game's use of real footage from the tragedy drew dismay from bereaved families and civic groups. They said it was wrong to turn the chaotic scene into entertainment: citizens at the site tried to save each other with CPR, while victims lay on the freezing street.
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 to create a scene in a game.
Using such an event as material for an entertainment game was, the families said, highly inappropriate and senseless. People who took part in or saw the rescue effort have endured trauma and pain ever since, they said, and many were being traumatized again by hateful online comments about the tragedy.
Activision's response
The game is fictional, Activision said, with realistic details intended to make it immersive. Its use of actual news footage wasn't meant to reference any tragedy, including the Itaewon disaster, or to minimize the suffering it caused.
We offer our deepest condolences and sincere apologies to the bereaved families, victims and everyone who has been deeply hurt or distressed by this incident
The footage will be removed in an update set to roll out on 12 November.
The 10.29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Association welcomed the decision to remove the footage but said it hadn't received a direct apology from Activision. The families had demanded corrective action without delay, its spokesperson said.
The broader context
In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, a fictional all-out war on the Korean Peninsula sees North Korea invade South Korea. The action unfolds in Hajin, a fictional South Korean city under attack. The game had already faced criticism for its story of an invasion from North Korea, given that the two countries have remained technically at war for decades.
The Korean War's fighting ended in 1953, but the two countries have yet to conclude a peace treaty, leaving conflict a persistent concern in the region.
During development, Activision said, it handled the subject matter with care and respect. It confirmed the game used real news coverage of the Itaewon disaster to establish its fictional narrative, but said it didn't intend to reference tragic events or disregard the pain caused by the accident.
What we know
- The footage appeared in the opening sequence of the game and depicted the emergency response following a fictional North Korean attack.
- In the opening montage the footage appears briefly with a heavy filter and effects layered on top.
- The Itaewon crowd crush was one of the worst mass casualty events in South Korea's recent history and led to charged debates about bureaucratic negligence and political accountability.
Still unclear
- Whether Activision issued a direct apology to bereaved families; the 10.29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Association told the BBC it had not received one.
