Video game publisher Activision is removing real news footage of the 2022 Itaewon’s crowd disaster from its latest Call of Duty installment following criticism from victims’ families and survivors.

The company confirmed that the footage would be removed through a software update scheduled for November 12, alongside an apology to those affected by the tragedy.

The clips appeared in the opening sequence of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, which features a fictional storyline about North Korea invading South Korea.

Developers had incorporated real news reports of the October 2022 disaster to depict the chaos of a war zone. The footage showed emergency workers performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), body bags lying along streets, and rescue teams responding to the tragedy.

Nearly 160 people died during Halloween celebrations in Seoul’s The Itaewon neighbourhood after a crowd crush triggered a deadly stampede.

The use of the footage sparked anger among victims’ families, who questioned why a real-life tragedy that claimed numerous lives had been incorporated into an entertainment product.

Survivors and witnesses of the disaster continue to grapple with the trauma of the incident, making the use of the images particularly distressing.

A group representing the victims’ families welcomed Activision’s decision to remove the clips but criticised the company for failing to issue a direct apology to them.

Activision said the footage had been included to establish the fictional storyline and was not intended to trivialize the tragedy. The company, however, apologised for the distress caused and expressed sympathy to the victims and their families.

The controversy comes amid broader criticism of the game’s decision to center its storyline on tensions between North and South Korea, two countries that remain technically at war despite the 1953 armistice that halted active hostilities.

Although Activision has maintained that the game is a work of fiction, the backlash over the Itaewon footage has forced the company to revise its opening sequence.