{
  "id": 17197787,
  "title": "Call of Duty publisher apologizes for using real footage of Itaewon crowd crush",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/call-of-duty-publisher-apologizes-for-using-real-footage-of-itaewon",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-30T08:22:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/20261030/call-of-duty-publisher-apologizes-for-using-real-footage-of-itaewon-crowd-crush"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Activision Publishing, the publisher behind the Call of Duty video game, issued an apology on Friday for including real footage of a tragic event in its latest installment. The short clip, which showed a paramedic performing CPR on a victim lying on the street, appeared at the beginning of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. The footage was used to depict civilian casualties in a fictional war with North Korea.\n\nActivision expressed deep regret for the distress caused to the victims, their families, and anyone who may have been worried by the content. The company announced that the footage would be removed from the game in an upcoming update scheduled for release on November 12.\n\nThe publisher clarified that they had no intention of exploiting tragic events, such as the Itaewon crowd crush, when incorporating news footage into their games. They also emphasized that they were not attempting to dismiss the pain experienced by the bereaved families of the victims. A total of 159 people lost their lives in the narrow alleyway in Seoul's nightlife district of Itaewon on October 29, 2022, during Halloween celebrations in 2022.",
  "summary": "The makers behind the Call of Duty video game apologized Friday for using real footage of the deadly 2022 Seoul crowd crush in its latest installment of the game and agreed to remove the footage. A short clip showing a paramedic performing CPR on a crowd crush victim lying on the street appeared in the opening moments of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. The footage was used to depict a scenario of…",
  "key_points": [
    "Activision Publishing apologizes for using real Itaewon crowd crush footage in Call of Duty game.",
    "Company expresses regret for distress caused to victims and their families.",
    "Footage to be removed in November 12 update."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Using real footage of a tragedy to depict fictional combat casualties blurs the line between entertainment and exploitation, forcing the publisher to prioritize sensitivity over immersion.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "BBC News",
        "title": "Bereaved families appalled by footage of Seoul crush in Call of Duty",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/bereaved-families-appalled-by-footage-of-seoul-crush-in-call-of-duty",
        "published": "2026-10-29T12:01:41.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "Call of Duty publisher apologizes for using real footage of Itaewon crowd crush",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/call-of-duty-publisher-apologizes-for-using-real-footage-of-itaewon-17200647",
        "published": "2026-10-30T08:00:51.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}