Footage of Seoul crush to be removed from Call of Duty after backlash
Infinity Ward / ActivisionVideo clips showing the aftermath of a deadly crush in Seoul will be removed from the latest Call of Duty game after an angry reaction from victims' families.
Real life news coverage of the 2022 disaster which killed almost 160 people was included in an opening scene of Modern Warfare 4 to illustrate a fictional invasion from North Korea.
Bereaved families said they were "appalled" to see the footage - which included people being removed on stretchers, body bags on the street and resuscitation efforts - repurposed for the game.
Activision, which makes Call of Duty, has since apologised and confirmed it would be removed in the game's next update on 12 November.
The crush happened in the narrow alleys of Seoul's Itaewon district when more than 100,000 people went to the area to celebrate Halloween four years ago.
The streets became so tightly packed that people could not move and some were unable to breathe.
In a statement on Thursday, the families of those who died said the disaster "was a tragedy that caused hundreds of casualties, and citizens who took part in the rescue or witnessed it have suffered from trauma until now".
"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."
'Not intended to trivialise'
Activision confirmed it had used real news coverage of the disaster "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 in any way, shape or form".
Confirming on Friday that the footage would be removed in a statement, the company offered its condolences and apologised to the bereaved families and victims who have been hurt by this incident.
The decision was welcomed by the 10.29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Association, however the group told the BBC they had not received a direct apology from Activision.
Modern Warfare 4, which was released last week, had already faced criticism for basing the game on North Korea invading South Korea, as the two countries have been technically at war for decades.
Fighting stopped in the Korean War in 1953, but the two countries never signed a peace treaty and conflict is a very real worry in that part of the world.
At the launch of the game, Call of Duty's chief marketing officer, Tyler Bahl, told BBC Newsbeat: "We have to understand this is entertainment".
Additional reporting by Sophie Jeong
