# Activision to remove Itaewon crush footage from game’s opening scene

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/modern-warfare-4-is-cutting-real-world-footage-of-the-2022-seoul-crush-from-its-opening-cutscene-after-backlash-from-the-bereaved/
- Published: 2026-10-30T21:08:14+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-30T21:13:45+00:00
- Original publisher: Destructoid
- Original article: https://www.destructoid.com/modern-warfare-4-cutting-seoul-crush-footage/
- Topics: Gaming

## Key points

- Activision will remove the footage in a 12 November update.
- Bereaved families condemned its use in the game.
- The Itaewon crush killed around 160 people in 2022.

## Summary

Activision will remove footage of the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4’s opening cutscene in an update on 12 November. The decision follows strong objections from bereaved families in South Korea, who said using scenes from the disaster in an entertainment game was inappropriate.

The game is set on the Korean Peninsula and uses real-world footage to frame its fictional story. The crush occurred during Halloween celebrations in Seoul on 29 October 2022, killing around 160 people, most of them young adults. Activision said it had not intended to reference or trivialise the disaster.

## Coverage

- [Destructoid: Activision to remove Itaewon crush footage from game’s opening scene](https://www.destructoid.com/modern-warfare-4-cutting-seoul-crush-footage/)
- [Polygon: Activision Apologizes for 'Modern Warfare 4' Footage After Backlash](https://www.polygon.com/modern-warfare-4-activision-apologizes-itaewon-tragedy/)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.