Bereaved families have called on Activision to edit the intro sequence to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 after it emerged that it uses real news footage from a tragedy in Seoul in which 159 people died. The game's opening title sequence features a montage of news reports discussing the game's fictional outbreak of a full-scale North Korean invasion into the South Korean mainland.
The newsreader's voiceovers are accompanied by archival clips taken from actual news reports, including a brief shot of a paramedic giving CPR to someone lying on the floor. This specific shot was identified by some South Korean players as news footage taken from the 2022 Halloween crowd crush tragedy in Itaewon, Seoul. A statement has now been released by the October 29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Association, demanding that Activision remove the clip from the game.
The group says using such an incident as material for a game meant for entertainment purposes is highly inappropriate and insensitive. Consumer rights advocacy group the Korea Game Users Association also called on Activision to edit out the clip, saying there should be a clear explanation of the circumstances and an apology regarding the fact that tragic disaster footage unrelated to the game's progression context was utilized, causing harm to the bereaved families and others.
Activision has acknowledged the use of the footage, saying it did not intend to make light of the tragedy.