Call of Duty: Kuwait bans new instalment featuring Saddam Hussein

Social media was abuzz after reports that the long-awaited video game Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 - due to be released this Friday - will not be available in Kuwait. 

Reports that Kuwaiti authorities had blocked the release of the popular first-person shooter game days before its global launch on 25 October were confirmed by production studio Activision in a statement.

“Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has not been approved for release in Kuwait. At this time, the title will not be available for release in [the] region," Activision said.

"As a result, all preorders in Kuwait will be cancelled and refunded to the original point of purchase. We remain hopeful that local authorities will reconsider, and allow players in Kuwait to enjoy this all-new experience in the Black Ops series.”

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.

Middle East Eye contacted Kuwaiti officials for comment, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Kuwait has banned the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 over "progressive propaganda" as the video game features Saddam Hussein and the first Gulf War. Curious. pic.twitter.com/r6rhSAWLfS

— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) October 20, 2024

“Interesting to see how political sensitivities influence entertainment,” one user posted on the decision. 

“I could see them going for a ‘monster of their own doing’, essentially framing Saddam [Hussein] as a byproduct of unchecked US support towards western friendly dictatorships and US willingness to sell the chemical precursors to Iraq's chemical weapons program during the Iran-Iraq war,” one Redditor shared, as gamers tried to guess what could have led to the launch delay.

“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.

'Will it be the real version or will they - as usual - make one up, portraying themselves as the heroes saving the world?'

- Saudi gamer on TikTok

One gaming analyst told the New Arab: “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.