Activision removes real Seoul crush footage from Call of Duty game

Video game publisher Activision will remove real news footage of the 2022 Seoul crowd crush from its new video game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, following backlash from bereaved families. The BBC reported that the game maker issued an apology and confirmed the footage will be removed in an update scheduled for 12 November. [1][11]

The controversy arose after actual news visuals showing the aftermath of the deadly disaster in South Korea were used in an opening scene to depict a fictional invasion from North Korea. The BBC and The New York Times reported that the footage showed emergency workers carrying people on stretchers, body bags on the street, and resuscitation efforts. Bereaved families said they were appalled by the use of the clips. [1][4]

Outlets differed slightly on the exact death toll of the Halloween tragedy in a narrow alleyway. The BBC reported that almost 160 people were killed in the crush, while The New York Times reported that over 150 people died. [1][4]

Call of Duty is a first-person shooter video game series published by Activision, which released Modern Warfare 4 on 23 October 2026. As FTMQ News reported earlier, a movie adaptation of the franchise directed by Peter Berg is scheduled for release in June 2028. [11][13]