Modern Warfare 3 receives a controversial profile boost

by Steven Mostyn - May 27 2011, 10:48

It seems Activision’s hugely popular first-person shooter franchise ‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’ is fast becoming the go-to videogame series when it comes to courting controversy.

Moreover, following on from the Russian airport massacre in Modern Warfare 2, the latest military shooter from Activision includes terrorist attacks on the London tube system that hark back to those that rocked the English capital in 2005.

A number of UK media outlets and print newspapers (including The Daily Mail) are up in arms regarding Modern Warfare 3’s “ultra violent” content—even though scant little is known about the game (it was only unveiled on Monday) and it isn’t expected to hit retail stores until November.

Although location-based previews provided by Activision suggest in-game action will unfold across a variety of major cities (i.e., New York, Paris and Berlin), it’s an attack launched against the London Underground and the iconic Houses of Parliament that’s apparently causing all the fuss.

According to the Mail, supporters of those affected by the devastating London attacks in 2005 are already calling for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 to be banned.

Whether scenes of a London tube train being attacked and then derailed make it into the final game remains to be seen, but there’s little doubting that this week’s coverage will only enhance Modern Warfare 3’s profile.

Not that the franchise needs the attention. The most recent Call of Duty videogame ‘Black Ops’, which was released in November of 2010, pulled in more than $1 billion USD in sales during its first month of availability.

The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 ‘Reveal Trailer’ has already amassed well in excess of seven million views on YouTube. Watch it for yourself by clicking below.

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