Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 controversy
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4’s opening sequence is being reworked after it was discovered that it contained footage of a tragic event in Itaewon, Seoul that resulted in the deaths of 160 people in 2022. Understandably, this inclusion was deemed insensitive and inappropriate by many, particularly by some in South Korea.
The incident, which took place during neighborhood Halloween celebrations on October 29 of that year, occurred when a crowd rush was instigated that led to the deaths of more than 100 people. After Korean audiences took issue with the inclusion of the footage, Activision released a statement to Korean news outlet MBC confirming that the footage would be removed from the game in a November 12 update, and apologized to the families and victims who were hurt by its inclusion. The statement went on to say there was no intention of downplaying the pain people have experienced in the wake of the tragedy. As of this writing, it doesn’t appear that Activision or developer Infinity Ward has released an English statement.
Modern Warfare 4 focuses on a fictional war between North and South Korea and uses footage of the crowd rushing as a narrator lays out the premise of the game, in which North Korean forces have invaded the South Korean mainland. Though the images shown during the intro are seen through a distorted filter, anyone who had seen the original footage would likely recognize where it came from. Personally, I would have hoped using videos of a real-world disaster, especially one as recent as this, would be something the game’s creative decision-makers wouldn’t have allowed in the first place, but here we are.