Activision to Remove Itaewon Crush Footage From Modern Warfare 4

What the footage shows

The clip runs about three seconds. It shows injured people being carried on stretchers and attempts to resuscitate one person. The game uses it to illustrate public reaction to the invasion.

Families of the victims and others affected were angered by the inclusion. In a joint statement, they said they were shocked to see the event turned into part of a video game. They argued the images capture the chaos and desperation at the scene, where many people tried to perform CPR while victims lay in cold streets. The families demanded immediate corrective action and said that developers with any respect or empathy for the victims should remove the scenes.

Activision's response

In a statement sent to the broadcaster MBC News, the publisher said the footage will be deleted completely through the November 12 update. It offered condolences to the bereaved families, saying: "We extend our deepest condolences and sincerest sympathies to the families of the victims who suffered deep wounds from this incident, and to everyone we have caused pain."

Activision added that the game is a work of fiction designed to deliver a realistic experience, and that the real news footage was not used with any intention of evoking tragic events, including Itaewon, or of diminishing the pain tied to them.

Until the patch arrives, the footage remains available in the Modern Warfare 4 campaign. The update is meant to remove it automatically for all players, so no manual action should be needed.