KOREAN PENINSULA — Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is scheduled for release on 23 October. The game’s campaign is set around a fictional renewed conflict on the Korean Peninsula, featuring South Korean soldiers battling a full-scale North Korean invasion.
The Korean War ended in an armistice in 1953 rather than a peace treaty, leaving North and South Korea technically still at war. The game’s trailer focuses on a group of young South Korean conscripts on what appears to be a routine patrol before a missile attack from North Korea initiates full-scale war.
Dr. Sarah Son, Senior Lecturer in Korean Studies at the University of Sheffield, said the game 'could be controversial' as it 'turns still-unresolved war into entertainment.' She noted that while fictional renewed inter-Korean conflict is 'not unheard of' in Korean popular culture, such stories are often told 'from a South Korean perspective.'
George Osborn, author of 'Power Play: Video Games, Politics and the Battle for Global Influence,' said the setting was 'likely to attract scrutiny' in the region. Osborn noted that previous games such as Homefront, which depicted a unified Korea under northern control, were banned in South Korea. He added, 'The studio will have to show that it has handled possible conflict in the country with great care, or face backlash – and possible challenges selling the game – in South Korea specifically.'
Some Koreans expressed positive reactions to the game’s setting. One Korean player said, 'The soldiers' faces and the atmosphere of the locations all have that familiar Korean feel, so I'm genuinely excited.' Another Korean player said, 'When I heard the rumour that the ROK Army would be in it, my immediate reaction was "obviously just an extra...". Then I heard they're not just present but one of the playable protagonists? And not even special forces, handled from the perspective of an ordinary conscripted soldier, that's what gets me.' Some Koreans described Korea’s inclusion as a 'symbolic moment.'
The game will launch on current-generation consoles, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2, and will be the first mainline Call of Duty title to skip PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Players will also be able to play as Captain Price in missions set in multiple cities alongside the Korean campaign.