Activision has announced plans to remove video footage depicting the aftermath of the 2022 Itaewon crush from its new release, Modern Warfare 4. The decision follows an intense public backlash, particularly from the families of victims who expressed shock at seeing real-life tragedy integrated into a fictionalized gaming narrative.
The controversial scenes appeared in the game’s opening sequence, which depicts a fictionalized invasion of South Korea by North Korea.
To establish this setting, the developers utilized actual news reports of the Itaewon incident, which tragically resulted in nearly 160 deaths when crowds surged in narrow alleys during Halloween festivities four years ago. The footage included depictions of rescue efforts, victims on stretchers, and body bags on public streets. The crush happened in the narrow alleys of Seoul’s Itaewon district when more than 100,000 people went to the area to celebrate Halloween four years ago. The streets became so tightly packed that people could not move and some were unable to breathe.
Bereaved relatives stated they were “appalled” that such a traumatic event—where many citizens personally assisted with life-saving efforts like CPR—was repurposed for entertainment material. In a formal statement released Thursday, the 10.29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Association criticized the inclusion as “highly inappropriate and senseless,” noting that the incident remains a significant source of ongoing trauma for survivors and witnesses. 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, we cannot help but be appalled that the chaotic and desperate scene.
While Activision asserted that the news clips were intended only to anchor the game’s fictional plot and explicitly denied any intent to trivialize the real-world tragedy, the company issued an apology on Friday. It confirmed that the content will be purged during the game’s next scheduled update, set for 12 November.
Despite the planned removal, the bereaved families’ organization noted that they have not yet received a direct apology from the company. The association has publicly welcomed the upcoming change.
Modern Warfare 4 had already been a subject of criticism due to its premise involving a contemporary conflict between North and South Korea. Although active hostilities in the Korean War ceased in 1953, the two nations never finalized a peace treaty, leaving the prospect of renewed conflict a sensitive and genuine concern in the region. But the two countries never signed a peace treaty and conflict is a very real worry in that part of the world, fighting stopped in the Korean War in 1953.
At the game’s launch, Tyler Bahl, chief marketing officer for Call of Duty, defended the creative direction by emphasizing the title’s role as entertainment. The game, which launched last week, will now undergo this modification to address the concerns raised by the families. Additional reporting by Sophie Jeong.
