Yesterday, footage purporting to be of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 began appearing across the Internet. Unlike prior gameplay trailers, it did not cast players as British and US Special Forces fighting terrorists. Instead, it put the gamers behind the iron sights of a terrorist's assault rifle during an airport massacre similar to last year's attacks in Mumbai, India.
Gamers won't have to participate in Modern Warfare 2's massacre.
Within hours, Activision's UK offices confirmed the footage as real. However, reps were quick to emphasize that the sequence was both optional and prefaced by warnings that it would contain images that some might find offensive.
Now, with the Associated Press picking up the story--often the first step in a news item getting widespread mainstream press exposure--Activision's US offices have broken their silence. "The leaked footage was taken from a copy of game that was obtained illegally and is not representative of the overall gameplay experience in Modern Warfare 2," a spokesperson told GameSpot.
"Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare 2 features a deep and gripping storyline in which players face off against a terrorist threat dedicated to bringing the world to the brink of collapse," the spokesperson continued. "The game includes a plot involving a mission carried out by a Russian villain who wants to trigger a global war. In order to defeat him, the player infiltrates his inner circle. The scene is designed to evoke the atrocities of terrorism."
The spokesperson concluded, "At the beginning of the game, players encounter a mandatory 'checkpoint' in which they are warned that an upcoming segment may contain disturbing elements, and they can choose not to engage in the gameplay that involves this scene."
The scene's carnage will be prefaced with warnings that its imagery may be "disturbing."
Activision reps were quick to emphasize that, in the US and Canada, the game has been rated M for Mature by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board. They also pointed out that said rating is "prominently displayed" on all packaging and in all advertising. However, the ESRB Web site currently has no detailed summary of the game other than the basic descriptors for "blood, drug reference, intense violence, [and] language."
