Activision has announced that it will remove footage of the “Itaewon incident” used at the beginning of *Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4*, which was released on October 23, 2026. This was reported by the BBC.
The bereaved families had requested the removal of the footage, which was unrelated to the game’s content.
*Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4* is set against the backdrop of a large-scale invasion by North Korea. In the campaign mode, players take on the role of Private Park, a young South Korean soldier, and undertake missions around the world.The game’s opening sequence features actual news footage, including footage of the massive crowd crush that occurred in Seoul’s Itaewon district in 2022.
Regarding this use of footage, the victims’ families and civic groups demanded its removal, arguing that using footage of an accident that resulted in numerous casualties for the purpose of entertainment—such as a video game—was an “inappropriate and meaningless act.”Following this statement, the Korea Game Consumers Association also issued a statement asserting that, since footage of the accident—which was unrelated to the gameplay—had been used, an explanation and apology were necessary for the bereaved families and those affected.
Removal Reported in the November 12 Update
In response to an inquiry from Eurogamer on October 29, 2026, regarding the use of elements from real-world news reports to construct the game’s fictional narrative, Activision stated, “We have absolutely no intention of trivializing the Itaewon incident or any other real-world tragedies in any way.”
According to a BBC report, Activision subsequently apologized for the incident and stated that it would remove the relevant footage from *Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4* in an update on November 12, 2026.
