Call of Duty Apologizes and Will Cut 3 Seconds of Itaewon Crush Footage

Activision apologized on the 30th and said it will delete about three seconds of footage of the Itaewon crowd crush from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. The removal will arrive in a game update scheduled for Nov. 12, less than three weeks after the game's launch.

The case follows a pattern that has repeated for years in global game development: real-world events are borrowed for realism, and the people affected only learn about it after release. The publisher said in its statement that it offers "deep condolences and apologies to the bereaved families, victims, and everyone who has been troubled by this."

Activision also described the game as "a fictional work built on realistic immersion" and said it never intended to evoke the Itaewon disaster or other tragic events, or to make light of their pain.

What the footage was

Modern Warfare 4 launched on the 23rd as the newest entry in the Call of Duty series. Its premise imagines North Korea invading South Korea and war breaking out on the peninsula.

Suspicion arose over the game's opening cinematic. Viewers said it used news footage of the actual rescue effort at Itaewon. The source description attached to that footage reportedly stated that a large-scale crowd crush in South Korea had killed at least 153 people.

Families and government respond

The Oct. 29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Association issued a statement on the 28th. It said it was appalled that the desperate scene, in which citizens performed CPR to save one another and victims lay on a cold street, had been taken directly into a game scene. It called the use of the tragedy as entertainment material "highly inappropriate and senseless" and a disregard for the victims' dignity.

The government also weighed in. Interior and Safety Minister Yun Ho-jung described the matter as "secondary harm" at a press briefing on the 29th and said he believes "appropriate sanctions" are needed against the game.

The disaster behind the controversy

The Itaewon disaster occurred on Oct. 29, 2022, in the Itaewon area of Yongsan District, Seoul. A crowd gathered for Halloween festivities, and 162 people died in the crush.

The Nov. 12 update is the concrete commitment so far. Whether any further regulatory step follows the minister's remarks has not been stated.