Publisher Activision will remove a controversial cutscene depicting the October 2022 Itaewon crowd crush from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 in a November 12 update, following swift backlash and demands for removal from bereaved families and community organizations in South Korea.
Activision Commits to November 12 Patch Following Itaewon Backlash
- The opening cinematic of Modern Warfare 4—released on October 23—featured real-world news footage of the Seoul Halloween tragedy, sparking immediate outrage from Korean advocacy groups.
- The 10.29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Association and the Citizens’ Countermeasures Meeting condemned the inclusion as an inappropriate and senseless use of a real human disaster for entertainment.
- Activision stated that the footage was intended only to establish the game’s fictional North-South Korea conflict and announced that the segment will be patched out on November 12.
The Scene That Sparked Outrage
When Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 launched on consoles and PC on October 23, its campaign set out to establish a fictional war between North and South Korea. To ground this narrative, the opening cinematic utilized real-world news coverage. Among the footage included was a chaotic scene from the October 2022 crowd crush in Itaewon, Seoul, where approximately 100,000 people had gathered in a narrow alleyway. The disaster resulted in 160 casualties as victims suffocated in the crush.
The inclusion of the disaster—specifically showing a person performing CPR on a downed individual while bodies lay on the street or were carried away on stretchers—immediately drew fierce criticism. The game’s release coincided with the fourth anniversary of the tragedy, a time when bereaved families and community organizers were actively gathering to remember those who lost their lives.
Demands From the 10.29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Association
Shortly after the game hit shelves, the 10.29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Association and the Citizens’ Countermeasures Meeting voiced their sharp opposition. Formed in the wake of the 2022 tragedy, these two organizations stated they were appalled by the inclusion of the calamity in a commercial military shooter.
As reported by GameSpot and Yahoo Entertainment, the advocacy groups issued a direct condemnation through the BBC. Using such an incident as material for a game intended for entertainment purposes is itself highly inappropriate and a senseless act,
the groups declared, noting that rescue workers and witnesses continue to suffer from trauma. They demanded that if the developer possessed any minimum level of courtesy and empathy toward the victims, they should promptly take corrective measures.
Activision Response and Scheduled Patch
Responding to the mounting criticism, Activision confirmed that the segment will be excised from the military shooter in an upcoming update. In a statement provided to Yahoo Entertainment and GameSpot, the publisher maintained that it never intended to trivialize human suffering.
In developing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, we approached the subject matter with care and respect,
Activision said. The game’s opening cinematic utilises some real-world news coverage to establish the game’s fictional narrative. It is not intended to reference or trivialise the Itaewon disaster or any other real-world tragedy in any way, shape or form.
The disputed opening cinematic is scheduled to be removed when the software update arrives across all platforms on November 12.
