Modern Warfare 4 to Remove 2022 Seoul Crowd Crush Footage Following Backlash

Activision has apologized and will remove real news footage of the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, after families of the victims objected to its use in the game's opening cinematic, per PC Gamer. The footage will be cut in the game's next update on November 12.

The clips, which show rescue efforts including people being carried on stretchers, were used to depict the aftermath of the fictional North Korean invasion of South Korea at the center of the campaign. Bereaved families called the inclusion "highly inappropriate and senseless," in a statement reported by the BBC.

The details

• Footage: real news clips from the October 2022 Itaewon crowd crush in Seoul
• Where: the campaign's opening cinematic
• Removal: next update, November 12
• Response: Activision apologized to victims' families

What did Activision say?

Activision said it had "not intended to reference or trivialise the Itaewon disaster or any other real-world tragedy in any way, shape, or form," and that the footage was meant to establish the game's fictional narrative, per Push Square. "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 publisher said.

What happened in Itaewon?

The crush happened during Halloween celebrations in October 2022, when a crowd of more than 100,000 people packed into Seoul's Itaewon district and a narrow alleyway became the site of a crush. Nearly 160 people died and close to 200 were injured.

Why it matters

Modern Warfare 4 launched October 23, and its opening has shipped with real disaster footage since then. The November 12 update will remove it, three weeks after release.