:STATS [links:https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10920719]
[icon:CLOCK] Game released | 23 October 2026
[icon:USERS] Platforms | Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S
[icon:CLOCK] Real disaster | 29 October 2022, Itaewon, Seoul
[icon:USERS] Lives lost | 159 people
[icon:CLOCK] Footage in game | ~3 seconds (CPR scene from news broadcast)
[icon:CHECK] Removal update | 12 November 2026

:QUOTE [links:https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/20261030/call-of-duty-publisher-apologizes-for-using-real-footage-of-itaewon-crowd-crush, quotetype:plain, subtitle:Activision Publishing statement]
We deeply apologize to the victims and their bereaved families who must have suffered,
as well as to everyone who we have caused concern.
The footage will be removed in our update set to be rolled out on Nov. 12.

:TIMELINE [links:https://news.sbs.co.kr/english/article.do?news_id=N1008823184]
From release to removal
2022-10-29 | Itaewon Halloween crowd crush kills 159 people in Seoul
2026-10-23 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 released on four platforms
2026-10-28 | 10.29 Itaewon Bereaved Families Association demands removal of footage
2026-10-29 | Worldwide backlash; BBC, Guardian, CBC report global outcry
2026-10-29 | Activision acknowledges using real footage; declines removal at this stage
2026-10-30 | Activision issues formal apology; confirms Nov 12 patch will remove clip
2026-11-12 | Removal update scheduled

:INFO
What the footage was and why it caused harm
The opening cinematic of Modern Warfare 4 places players inside a fictional North Korean
invasion of South Korea. To establish scale, the sequence used approximately three seconds
of broadcast news footage showing emergency responders performing CPR on a victim of the
2022 Itaewon crowd crush — the fourth anniversary of which fell on 29 October 2026.
The 10.29 Itaewon Bereaved Families Association said: "Using such an incident as material
for a game intended for entertainment purposes is itself highly inappropriate and a
senseless act." Activision said the real footage was intended to create a "realistic and
immersive" fictional narrative, not to trivialise any tragedy.

:CHECKLIST
What happens next
[x] Activision formal apology issued (30 October 2026)
[x] Removal patch confirmed for 12 November 2026
[ ] Bereaved families say they have not yet received a direct apology from Activision
[ ] Korean Game Users Association monitoring follow-through on removal
[ ] Families plan signature drive with foreign bereaved families attending Seoul memorial

:NOTE [links:https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr1ex26lgqlqo]
Sources: Activision statement to MBC/Korea Times (30 Oct 2026); BBC Newsbeat (11:27 UTC 30 Oct); Korea Herald (08:19 UTC 30 Oct); SBS News Korea; Shacknews; 10.29 Itaewon Bereaved Families Association statement (28 Oct 2026). Cover: Seoul skyline at night, CC0, Wikimedia Commons (mauveine.kim, 2018). Last updated 12:00 UTC 30 October 2026.

:LINK
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr1ex26lgqlqo
BBC Newsbeat: Footage of Seoul crush to be removed from Call of Duty

:LINK
https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10920719
Korea Herald: Call of Duty publisher apologizes, says will remove Itaewon footage