'Controversial' North Korean invasion setting for next Call of Duty game

Modern Warfare 4 is scheduled for release on 23 October and centers on a fictional renewed conflict on the Korean Peninsula. South Korean soldiers fight a full-scale North Korean invasion, beginning with a routine patrol that escalates after a missile attack. The campaign is presented as grounded in military authenticity, and players also control Captain Price in missions across several cities alongside the Korean storyline. The game launches on current-generation consoles, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2, skipping PlayStation 4 and Xbox One for the first time in the mainline series. Reactions include concerns about turning an unresolved war into entertainment, alongside some praise for Korea’s inclusion in a major franchise.

"Modern Warfare 4, due out 23 October, partly follows South Korean soldiers battling a full-scale North Korean invasion. Dr Sarah Son, Senior Lecturer in Korean Studies at the University of Sheffield, said the move "could be controversial" as it "turns still-unresolved war into entertainment". Some Koreans reacted more positively, with one calling Korea's inclusion in one of gaming's biggest franchises a "symbolic moment"."

"Developer Infinity Ward said the game will be "grounded in the military authenticity Modern Warfare is known for". The game will launch on current-generation consoles, PC and Nintendo Switch 2, marking the first mainline Call of Duty to skip PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The game's trailer, which has already been viewed almost 22 million times within a day of release, focuses on a group of young South Korean conscripts on what appears to be a routine patrol, before a missile attack from North Korea throws them into full-scale war."

"Players will also get to play once again as fan-favourite Captain Price, who will appear in different missions in several cities alongside the Korean campaign. The release of any Call of Duty game is a global cultural event and posts about the latest version have amassed more than three million interactions within 24 hours of the announcement across Instagram, TikTok, X and Facebook. Among them, some Koreans reacting to the setting have embraced Infinity Ward's decision to tell the story from the perspective of ordinary South Korean soldiers caught up in the conflict."

""The soldiers' faces and the atmosphere of the locations all have that familiar Korean feel, so I'm genuinely excited," said one."

Read at www.bbc.com