South Korea has condemned Activision’s decision to base the next Call of Duty game on a fictional North Korean invasion, with officials in Seoul accusing the publisher of cashing in on real-world tensions that cost lives. The game, reportedly titled ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops Gulf War’ or a variant tied to a North Korean conflict, has yet to be officially announced but leaks suggest a storyline involving a full-scale assault on the South. For many Koreans, still scarred by the 1950-53 war and living under the constant threat of artillery from the North, this is not entertainment.
It is a trivialisation of a very real fear. The backlash stems from a sense that war is not a game when your family lives 50 kilometres from the border. Seoul’s culture ministry has issued a sharp statement calling the plot ‘insensitive and harmful’ and warning Activision of potential legal barriers.
It also cited the warm reception to ‘Squid Game’ and BTS as examples of how to engage with Korean culture respectfully. The controversy comes as the games industry faces mounting scrutiny over its use of real-world conflicts. Critics ask: when does a game cross the line from historical fiction to reckless provocation?
For South Korea, this line has been crossed. The game is still months from release. But the anger is immediate.
