Kuwait has banned the release of the video game “Call of Duty: Black Ops 6,” which features the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and is set in part in the 1990s Gulf War. Kuwait has not publicly acknowledged banning the game, which is a tentpole product for the Microsoft-owned developer Activision and is set to be released on Friday worldwide. However, it comes as Kuwait still wrestles with the aftermath of the invasion and as video game makers more broadly deal with addressing historical and cultural issues in their work.

The video game, a first-person shooter, follows CIA operators fighting at times in the United States and also in the Middle East. Game-play trailers for the game show burning oilfields, a painful reminder for Kuwaitis who saw Iraqis set fire to the fields, causing vast ecological and economic damage. Iraqi troops damaged or set fire to over 700 wells. There also are images of Saddam and Iraq’s old three-star flag in the footage released by developers ahead of the game’s launch.

The game’s multiplayer section, a popular feature of the series, includes what appears to be a desert shootout in Kuwait called Scud after the Soviet missiles Saddam fired in the war. Another is called Babylon, after the ancient city in Iraq. Activision acknowledged in a statement that the game “has not been approved for release in Kuwait,” but did not elaborate. “All pre-orders in Kuwait will be cancelled and refunded to the original point of purchase,” the company said. “We remain hopeful that local authorities will reconsider, and allow players in Kuwait to enjoy this all-new experience in the Black Ops series.” Kuwait’s Media Ministry did not respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press over the decision.

Set during the first Gulf War, Black Ops 6 is the newest entry in the Call of Duty franchise, and revolves around a clandestine force infiltrating the CIA.

The trailer for the game opens with clips of former US President George W Bush saying: “The Soviet Union is no more,” followed by a series of archival footage interspersed with digitally altered footage and shots of historic figures including Bill Clinton, Margaret Thatcher and Saddam Hussein.

While no official reason was given by Kuwaiti authorities, social media users speculated that the backdrop of the war, which began with Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990, was the reason behind the ban.

“I want to see how they’re going to capture the story. Will it be the real version or will they – as usual – make one up, portraying themselves as the heroes saving the world?” one Saudi gamer said on TikTok.

One gaming analyst told the sources: “The move to block this game may seem theatrical because people will find ways to buy this game if they really want it, whether via VPN or pay a premium price in the black market. What’s more interesting here is the motivation of the authorities to block a game set in what was a traumatic period for Kuwait – the Gulf War.”

“Kuwait, to this day, has difficulty engaging with that specific moment in history, for good or ill,” he added. 

The Gulf War remains a deeply sensitive chapter in Kuwaiti history, with the effects still felt today. Under then-president Saddam Hussein, Iraq invaded the country with around 100,000 troops in hopes of controlling its vast oil resources. 

The war lasted for 42 days, with a US-led coalition of 42 countries forcing Iraqi troops out of Kuwait, while carrying out an intense bombing campaign on Iraqi units in Iraq and Kuwait.

An estimated two million landmines are believed to have been placed in Kuwait at the time, and reports indicate that the country’s desert areas “remain contaminated with landmines and unexploded ordnance”, affecting and killing civilians to this day.  

Images of burning oil fields in the COD trailer are reminiscent of how Iraqi troops set fire to some 700 wells, causing a massive ecological and economic blow to the country.

This is not the first time the franchise has faced controversy or been banned in countries. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II included a mission targeting an Iranian military leader named “Ghorbrani” – one very similar to the real-life assassination of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, which drew criticism online.

In 2021, Activision came under fire for a scene in Call of Duty: Vanguard’s Zombies, in which pages from the Quran, the Islamic holy book, were scattered on the floor. At the time, many social media users called for a boycott of the game, which they called Islamophobic. The US-based studio issued an apology and removed the content.

Source Middle East Eye