Seoul crush footage to be removed from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 after outcry from bereaved families

Activision will remove real footage of the 2022 Seoul crush from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 after victims’ families condemned its use in the game.

Activision will remove real footage of the 2022 Seoul crush from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 following an outcry from bereaved families who said they were “appalled” to see the tragedy repurposed for entertainment.

The footage, taken from real news coverage of the disaster, appears during the game’s opening sequence to establish its fictional scenario, which centres on a North Korean invasion of South Korea.

Clips show people being carried away on stretchers, body bags in the street and emergency workers attempting to resuscitate victims.

The Itaewon disaster killed almost 160 people when more than 100,000 people gathered in Seoul’s Itaewon district to celebrate Halloween in October 2022.

Crowds became so tightly packed in the area’s narrow streets that people were unable to move or breathe.

In a statement, the 10.29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Association condemned Activision’s decision to use footage of the tragedy.

The families said: “We cannot help but be appalled that the chaotic and desperate scene, 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.

“Using such an event as material for a game made for entertainment is in itself highly inappropriate and senseless.”

Activision apologised and confirmed that the footage will be removed in the game’s next update on November 12.

The company said it had used the news reports “to establish the game’s fictional narrative”, but insisted it had not intended to reference or trivialise the Itaewon disaster or any other real-world tragedy.

The publisher also offered its condolences to the victims and their families.

Modern Warfare 4 has faced controversy beyond its use of the footage, with criticism also directed at its fictional depiction of North Korea invading South Korea.

The two countries remain technically at war after the Korean War ended with an armistice in 1953 rather than a peace treaty.

At launch, Call of Duty chief marketing officer Tyler Bahl defended the game’s approach, telling BBC Newsbeat: “We have to understand this is entertainment.”