Activision will strip Itaewon news footage from MW4 on November 12

The Korea Herald dated its report October 30. Activision sent a statement to MBC: real news footage from the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush is in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, and “the problematic footage would be completely removed through a game update scheduled for release on Nov. 12.” Eurogamer’s English brief, published October 31, repeats that November 12 date and says the Korean quotes it prints come via Inven Global’s AI-assisted, editor-reviewed translation. This desk has not opened the cinematic and is not describing what is on screen.

What Activision put on the record

We offer our deepest condolences and sincere apologies to the bereaved families, victims and everyone who has been deeply hurt or distressed by this incident.— Activision, via The Korea Herald / MBC, Oct 30

The Herald’s same paragraph says Activision called the game a work of fiction meant to feel immersive, and said the news footage was not meant to evoke the Itaewon disaster or downplay it. Eurogamer’s later English piece adds a second, translated line — “We bow our heads in deep sympathy and apology” — and an earlier Activision note that the opening cinematic “utilises some real world news coverage to establish the game’s fictional narrative.” Those are two writeups of the same publisher, not two different patch plans.

The counts that still disagree

The Herald writes “families of the 159 victims.” Eurogamer writes “around 160 people died.” This page is not picking a number. The November 12 removal date is the same on both. Interior and Safety Minister Yun Ho-jung’s “secondary harm” remarks sit on Eurogamer’s Oct 31 file; they are his, not Activision’s. No shopping links. The Season 1 calendar already on this desk is a different brief.