Call of Duty removes footage of Itaewon tragedy from game
Activision apologises for using real disaster footage.
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Activision is removing footage of the disaster in the South Korean district of Itaewon from the latest Call of Duty. The publisher says it has apologised after bereaved families and advocacy groups deemed the use of the footage inappropriate.
The footage appeared in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, which was released worldwide on 23 October. It was a film sequence in a fictional war scenario depicting civilian casualties. The sequence incorporated footage resembling the aftermath of the deadly crowd crush in Itaewon.
In the disaster in Seoul, 159 people died during Halloween celebrations on 29 October 2022. The event continues to have major social consequences in South Korea. Organisations representing bereaved families therefore reacted sharply to the use of recognisable footage in a commercial computer game.
According to South Korean media, Activision has promised to remove the material entirely through a game update. The publisher has not publicly explained how the footage came to be used in the production or what checks were carried out beforehand.
The issue therefore goes beyond an ordinary game adjustment. For the bereaved families, the central question is whether a real disaster may be used without permission to make a fictional action scenario more credible. For the publisher, it is also about trust in a global product that is received differently in different countries.
The controversy shows how quickly digital entertainment productions can collide with contemporary cultures of remembrance. A scene that makers may have intended as realistic war material can be recognisable archival footage of a national tragedy to those involved. Activision has not yet given a date for when the update will be available to all players.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The game contained footage resembling the aftermath of the Itaewon disaster.
- Activision has apologised and announced that it will remove the footage.
- 159 people died in the disaster in 2022.
Left
Arguments The entertainment industry must put the dignity of victims first and not exploit real disaster footage without permission.
Values Solidarity, protection of bereaved families and social responsibility.
Consequences Stricter internal and legal rules could make productions more expensive and slower, but would reduce the risk of retraumatisation.
Centre
Arguments Makers must retain room for realistic stories, but recognisable footage of recent disasters requires consent, context and careful scrutiny.
Values Proportionality, professional responsibility and room for artistic freedom.
Consequences A clear code of conduct and better editorial oversight could prevent many conflicts without general censorship.
Right
Arguments A commercial publisher must take responsibility itself, but governments should not determine which historical or current footage may appear in fiction.
Values Freedom of expression, entrepreneurship and restraint in government intervention.
Consequences Voluntary corrections and transparency are preferable to broad bans that could also affect journalistic or historical work.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The article's central claims are confirmed by several South Korean news sources. The text clearly distinguishes between the real disaster and the fictional game context.
- confirmed Activision is removing real footage of the Itaewon disaster from the latest Call of Duty. — Yonhap and The Korea Herald report the apology and the announced removal. source
- confirmed Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 was released on 23 October 2026. — The Chosun Daily gives the worldwide release date. source
- confirmed 159 people died in the Itaewon disaster. — Yonhap and The Korea Herald give this death toll. source
Editor's note
It has been confirmed that real footage from the Itaewon disaster appeared in the game and that Activision intends to remove it. It remains unclear exactly how the material was selected and when the update will be available everywhere.Sources
- Call of Duty publisher apologizes for using real footage of Itaewon crowd crush — Yonhap News Agency
- ‘Call of Duty’ publisher apologizes, says will remove Itaewon crowd crush footage — The Korea Herald
- Call of Duty Developers Remove Halloween Tragedy Footage — The Chosun Daily
More on this in Dutch media
- Het Parool — „call of duty”
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