Activision to pull Itaewon crush footage from Call of Duty after families protest

Activision will remove real‑life footage of the 2022 Itaewon crush from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 after families of the victims objected. The footage appeared in the game’s opening scene that portrays a fictional invasion by North Korea. Families said they were appalled to see stretchers, body bags and on‑street CPR repurposed for entertainment. In a statement, they called the use “highly inappropriate and senseless” and said the tragedy still haunts survivors. Activision apologized, said the clips were used only to set the game’s narrative and that it never intended to reference or trivialise the disaster. The company confirmed the clips will be removed in an update scheduled for 12 November. The Itaewon crush occurred in narrow alleys of Seoul’s Itaewon district during Halloween 2022 when more than 100,000 people gathered, causing the streets to become so packed that some could not breathe. The incident left almost 160 dead and many injured. The removal was welcomed by the 10.29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Association, though they noted they had not received a direct apology from Activision. The game, released last week, has also faced criticism for its setting of a North Korean invasion, a scenario that touches a long‑standing technical state of war between North and South Korea that has lasted since 1953.

Context

The Itaewon crush is one of South Korea’s deadliest peacetime disasters, and using real tragedy footage in video games has drawn criticism worldwide for appearing to exploit suffering for entertainment.