Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Blocked in Kuwait, Activision Refunds Pre-Orders

Real world conflict and real world governments are always going to make it messy when it comes to portraying them in fictional entertainment, especially when it's sensationalised like it is in COD.
I hope the subject matter is treated fairly and with a delicate hand, and not just war schlock for the sake of shock value.

The people of Kuwait are really missing out on what will likely be the most nuanced take on the Gulf War of all time.

Obviously not the same thing but 3pm football kick offs are banned from being broadcast in the UK, but via the magic of the internet and dodgy fire sticks everyone still watches them

My point is that if they really want to play it, I'm sure they will find a way

I kind of don't get the ban. I can definitely see it being banned in Iraq, but why Kuwait? Isn't that like if France and Poland banned games where you shoot occupying Nazis?

If handled well fair, if not then well......

If just because of the subject matter, memorised and more regardless and
what comes to mind in history then proper evaluation of safely handling the themes then yeah that's a bit unfortunate.

Still interesting period to cover in a game I guess. Even if few years since events took place.

@NEStalgia Well imagine if you were from Kuwait and when you were a kid, a foreign army stormed into your country, your city, and you sat in your home terrified as people you potentially knew were killed. Then you're an adult and an American company makes a fun game about it (and presumably a fun game where it's Americans doing the saving as the Kuwaitis powerlessly thank their saviours). At least with WW1&2 stuff, practically no one actually playing games based on them would've been alive then. Not saying I agree with a ban but it would be a terrifying and traumatic thing for a lot of people there still, I could imagine.

@Matroska well said.

Poor taste, they should steer clear of political rubbish and just choose a fictional place of combat zones. MW3 was poor taste with the inclusion of russian politics, i assume the splinter cell remake has some hurdles to clear with old tiblisi town?. Sensationalism and sensitivity at odds as someone once said.

Scarily, it's no more/less recent than when Black Ops 1 included the Vietnam conflict!

@NEStalgia I get a feeling that the game will offer some unfavourable revelations against the Kuwaiti side too which won't sit well with them, and these can include lateral drilling into Iraqi oilfields and atrocity propaganda claiming Iraqi soldiers having chugged out babies from incubators. Much like the 'poor little Belgium' and today's Ukraine, the Kuwaiti side wasn't all innocent either.

Puublisher is "hopeful that local authorities will reconsider"

I suppose it could have been a worse misspelling.

@Retron
I like that you added the last part. These topics are not only sensitive, but almost add salt into fresh wounds.

I remember my uncle being mad at me for play COD4. He was like "isn't this game about killing Iraqis as an American?".
With all the atrocities that happened in Iraq, it's definitely understandable you'd be shocked to see kids playing as American soldiers in Iraq.

@McTwist don't paint american soldiers but that brush. You wouldn't know anything about it. Look how many terrorist attacks have happened over the past 15 years its appalling.

@Dimey don't play it then

@Cal_
I didn't. I said it's understandable these games can get banned.
Also, maybe you should look into the Iraqi war a bit then. You clearly know nothing about it it seems.
The whole reason that war started was BS. It was built on lies, for (oil) profit. Millions of people died for nothing.
This was also the war where Americans tortured and did some pure and utter atrocities there. It's all there, leaked. You only have to look it up.

I'm not taking sides. I blame the powers at be. It's a war even Americans aren't proud of

The game I completely gonna skip streaming textures for even a singleplayer campaign in good.

Sounds like they are gonna have to ku wait for the one

I’m surprised this doesn’t happen more often, to be honest. Many of these games that are based on real events are difficult to get right from all parties’ perspectives. We were just talking about it with AC Shadows. I think we’ll probably see more and more that certain governments and societies are going to push back regarding outside interpretation of events involving their people. I’m not saying it’s right or wrong, necessarily. Just saying it’s the realities of the world we live in and so much depends on the eye of the beholder.

CoD always has to walk this incredibly fine line between entertainment and commentary. While they are obviously creating these Michael Bay-style products for entertainment, war is the most political act in the world, so there's no way to not piss people off when you base the game around real-world events.

I hate censorship of any kind.

Not approving the game is censorship in my eyes. Even if whatever that thing is perceived as insensitive, banning it outright doesn't give the individual to decide what is right for them.

Maybe it does take an "American savior" approach. Maybe it doesn't. Quite honestly, it doesn't matter. You are taking choice away from people.

Maybe a Kuwait-based game developer can make a game that tells a different side of the conflict - even if it's overblown for the sake of entertainment. It won't be banned in the United States or any of the other free countries that took part in it. It would probably be praised for taking a different approach.

People should be allowed to express their side. People should also be allowed to agree and disagree. No governing body should be able to ban expressing a viewpoint...well...unless it's illegal - but laws should also be allowed to be challenged, too! But I guess that's a whole different topic for an entirely different kind of site.

@Khayl Typo in the sub-title of this article mate: "Puublisher".

@Matroska
Surely, you've missed the key point that those traumatised individuals, would have the choice not to play it.

@NEStalgia To them, perhaps it’s more like China making 9/11 The Game. Close to home subject matter and it’s possible they just don’t want to release it there for those reasons, similar to the way Germany subdued Nazi imagery in games either refusing to rate them or requiring changes.

@gingerfrog Sure but if they released a game where you have to escape from the Twin Towers as planes crash into them, everyone could choose not to play it but it would still be incredibly controversial in America. Or to take it to a extreme, a game where you hunt and kill children. If you don't like it, don't play it, right? But would you be surprised if it was banned? Or a game where you play as a Nazi and get points for gassing Jewish people. Is that okay?

Anything goes if the rule is "it's okay because you don't have to play it or watch it", but would you be okay with being able to romance children in Mass Effect? There are lots of things that you're okay with being banned; but if the idea was as simple as people could just not watch it or play it, you'd be in favour of it being allowed. There's obviously more to it.

This goes to @GamingFan4Lyf too. I don't like censorship either, and I said in my post I don't necessarily support this ban, yet we regularly accept things being banned because to our society it's obvious it should be banned.

@McTwist I think you're thinking of the 2nd war, not the 1st one. The 2nd was the one with debatable reasoning and where those leaks happened etc. The first was because they'd invaded a neighboring country that asked for help. Yes, that country just HAPPENED to be a major supplier of oil that all affected parties were eager to rescue for the sake of their own oil supply, but the country really did ask for the help, and really needed it.

@Matroska True enough, but at the same time I could also imagine people interested in digital revenge, too. I get why some people may not want to play it, but banning it as unacceptable doesn't really fit that either.

Though I do also agree with others, that recent real world politics and video games aren't a great mix to begin with.

@SweetSummerShunv That's also a very valid point, and I suspect that's much more in line. I can't imagine a government banning a game because "some people will find it traumatizing." I can imagine a government banning a game because it makes them look bad.

@nessisonett It may be close to home, but I also don't see the US banning a 9/11 game made by China. In fact I can cynically see network TV making billions by just running forced controversy over it for 4 months, and politicians trying to build their careers on taking a stand on it in to directions. But yeah, I get your point on Chinas interpretation of...well, anything historical, being likely unacceptable and the same applying to US media. Different from Germany though, that was a guilt issue and not wanting to normalize their own actions, which would be more in line with Iraq banning this. The countries invaded by Nazi's never banned such imagery. Still, I think SweetSummerShunv probably got the closest. Government's don't ban things to protect sensitivities of people that just wouldn't buy it. They do ban things to protect the skeletons in their closet.

@StrickenBiged I also flagged this. He'll sort it after he wakes up at 4am.

@NEStalgia I recommend into reading why Iraq invaded Kuwait. Read deep into it.

Personally don’t care about the politics of it no matter what country or perspective. It’s a video game. I’m just looking for a fun, high quality experience which COD always delivers, whether you happen to like it or not. Some entries are better than others and **hopefully** this will be one of the better ones.

@Matroska ❤️