Activision says it will remove real footage of the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush in Seoul from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4's opening cinematic, in an update due on 12 Nov. It told Korean broadcaster MBC it offered "our deepest condolences and sincere apologies to the bereaved families, victims and everyone who has been deeply hurt or distressed by this incident," as translated by PC Gamer.
A filtered clip from the disaster appears in the game's opening montage. About 160 people died in the crush during Halloween celebrations in Seoul in October 2022, and bereaved families had called on Activision to remove the footage, the BBC reported.
Activision earlier told IGN the footage was used to establish the game's fictional narrative, not to trivialise the disaster. It has now confirmed to MBC that the scene will go. Kotaku also reported the change.