Nearly 160 people lost their lives in Seoul's Itaewon Halloween crush in 2022. Four years later, footage of their final moments and the desperate attempts to save them has found its way into a video game, triggering outrage among bereaved families and forcing its developers to apologise.

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Activision, the publisher of the popular Call of Duty franchise, has confirmed it will remove footage of the deadly disaster featured in Modern Warfare 4 in an update scheduled for November 12.

The controversy erupted after players discovered that the game's opening sequence incorporated real news footage documenting the aftermath of the October 2022 tragedy.

The visuals, which included victims being carried away on stretchers, body bags lying on streets and emergency resuscitation efforts, were used to establish the backdrop for a fictional North Korean invasion of South Korea.

The use of the footage prompted a strong reaction from the families of those who died, who said they were appalled that scenes depicting such human suffering had been repurposed for entertainment.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the 10.29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Association described the incident as a tragedy that caused hundreds of casualties.

It also highlighted the continuing psychological trauma experienced by survivors, rescue participants and people who witnessed the disaster.

The families objected particularly to the depiction of citizens performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on victims who were lying on the freezing streets.

They said turning such scenes into material for a video game was highly inappropriate and senseless, given the immense human suffering associated with the incident.

Activision apologises, confirms removal of footage

Responding to the backlash, Activision acknowledged that it had incorporated real news coverage of the Itaewon disaster to establish the fictional narrative of Modern Warfare 4.

However, the company maintained that it had never intended to refer to or trivialise the Itaewon tragedy or any other real-world disaster.

On Friday, Activision confirmed it would remove the controversial footage in the game's next update on November 12. The company also expressed its condolences and apologised to the bereaved families and others who had been hurt by its inclusion.

The 10.29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Association welcomed the decision. However, the group told the BBC that it had not received a direct apology from the gaming company.

What happened during the Itaewon Halloween crush?

The tragedy unfolded in the narrow alleys of Seoul's Itaewon district during Halloween celebrations in October 2022.

More than 100,000 people gathered in the popular nightlife neighborhood, creating dangerously overcrowded streets.

As crowd density rose, people became trapped in narrow passageways and couldn't move freely. Several were crushed in the congestion, while others struggled to breathe. Nearly 160 people died in the disaster.

The incident left South Korea grappling with questions surrounding crowd management and public safety, while survivors, families and witnesses continued to deal with its emotional consequences.

Modern Warfare 4 faces criticism over North Korea storyline

The controversy surrounding the footage is not the first time Modern Warfare 4 has attracted criticism. The game has already faced scrutiny for basing its fictional storyline on a North Korean invasion of South Korea.

The premise has drawn attention because the two countries technically remain at war.

Although active fighting in the Korean War ended in 1953, the two sides never signed a formal peace treaty, leaving tensions and the possibility of renewed conflict a continuing concern.

At the game's launch, Call of Duty chief marketing officer Tyler Bahl defended its premise in an interview with BBC Newsbeat, saying, ‘We have to understand this is entertainment’.

However, the backlash over the Itaewon footage has raised a different question about the boundaries between fictional storytelling and the use of real-life tragedies in commercial entertainment.