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Activision to cut Itaewon footage from Modern Warfare 4
The clip, a three-second shot of the 2022 Seoul crowd crush, will be cut from the game's opening cinematic in a November 12 update.
30 Oct 2026 0 reads Compiled with AI
Modern Warfare 4 launched on October 23, and its opening cinematic shows a three-second clip of the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush in Seoul. The crush killed 160 people during Halloween celebrations. The clip, shown through a distorted filter, includes stretchers being carried and a person being resuscitated. It was used to illustrate the fictional North Korean invasion of South Korea.
Activision’s apology and removal plan
Activision apologized for using the footage and said the video would be fully removed. Its statement to MBC News acknowledged the distress caused, offered condolences to bereaved families and said there was no intention to downplay the tragedy. Families of those affected criticized the decision to include the footage and called for it to be taken out. No English statement had been released by Activision or Infinity Ward at the time of the report.
The removal will come through a game update scheduled for November 12, which will automatically delete the footage for all players.
The Itaewon crush happened on October 29, 2022, during neighborhood Halloween celebrations. The footage used in Modern Warfare 4 was a news clip taken from the aftermath of that event.
During the opening cinematic, the crowd footage appears through a distortion filter, but anyone familiar with the original would likely recognize its source. Many, especially in South Korea, found its use insensitive.