Outrage grows as Call of Duty uses real Seoul crush footage in new game

A new video game, "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4," is facing significant backlash for reportedly incorporating real footage from the deadly 2022 Itaewon crowd crush in South Korea. The game, released by Activision on October 23, includes a three-second cinematic sequence featuring emergency responders performing CPR on victims, and bodies covered by tarps, to depict civilian casualties in its fictional narrative of a North Korean invasion of South Korea.

Bereaved families, civic groups, and gamer associations have expressed outrage, condemning the use of tragic real-world events for entertainment purposes. They argue that the inclusion of such distressing scenes is insensitive to the pain of victims' families and those who witnessed or participated in rescue efforts. The controversy coincides with the fourth anniversary of the Itaewon disaster, which claimed 159 lives on October 29, 2022.

Activision has acknowledged the use of real news footage in the game's opening cinematic, stating it was intended to convey the fictional narrative and not to reference or trivialize the Itaewon disaster or any other real-life tragedy. However, the company has not yet indicated whether it will remove or alter the controversial footage despite calls from affected groups for its immediate removal and an apology.