Here’s Why Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Is Banned in Kuwait, Explained
Black Ops 6 was never released in Kuwait for some reason, which was never stated to players clearly. So, let's check out the speculations.
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 got into controversies and received a ban before it was even officially released.
- Despite the reason not being stated, it was not something hard to speculate.
- However, it wasn't the first time for this franchise to face a ban.
In October 2024, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 was released globally, and almost immediately it has become one of the most successful games released this year. Although it has 6 in the title, it is actually the seventh installment in the Black Ops series, and once again following its predecessors, this game received a ban in a few countries, one among them being Kuwait.
Even before Black Ops 6 was released, Microsoft confirmed that Kuwaiti authorities had blocked the release of the game. When the game has created such a huge fanbase worldwide, it is indeed strange for the authorities of Kuwait to block the release. So, let’s dive deeper into the matter to find out the reason behind it.
Why Is Black Ops 6 Banned in Kuwait?
Call of Duty is one of the most popular FPS franchises that often portrays the scenarios of war in its different sub-series. Despite the Kuwaiti authorities being completely silent about the ban and the reason behind this ban, Activision confirmed it before the game’s official release. Anyway, even Activision was silent about the exact reason.
However, this silence has triggered curiosity and speculation. As speculations went wild, players guessed that the primary reason behind this ban was political sentiment. Black Ops 6 is set in the context of the 1990s Gulf War. This fact led to the assumption that the game was banned because of government concerns over its portrayal of Saddam Hussein, the late Iraq dictator, in the game.
If you have seen the trailer of the game before the official game was released, it showed burning oil fields, which was a glaring reminder to the civilians and politicians of Kuwait who had seen Iraqi forces destroying their fields and setting them on fire, dealing massive ecological and economical damage to the country.
Additionally, the trailer has the old flag of Iraq along with images of multiple great leaders of that time, including Margaret Thatcher, Bill Clinton, and Saddam Hussein. Even though no official reason has yet been stated, this seems to be the most convincing one for Kuwaiti authorities to ban Black Ops 6.
Reactions of Fans and Activision About This Ban
In modern times, game bans are nothing surprising. Sometimes even game publishing companies restrict games from launching in certain countries. However, in most cases, players figure out some alternative method to access the games.
When the game pre-order was going on, there was no ban. Therefore, loads of players from the country have pre-booked the game. However, after the ban was imposed, Activision announced it would refund all the money. Along with that, in an interview with IGN, it mentioned,
“We remain hopeful that local authorities will reconsider, and allow players in Kuwait to enjoy this all-new experience in the Black Ops series.”
To date, there’s no update on the reconsideration, though. Anyway, in another interview with The New Arab, a local gaming analyst from Kuwait talked about why it is ridiculous to ban a game with modern technologies that reached its peak. Per him,
“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.”
He further elaborated on this point by saying it is now funny to see how the country hasn’t yet gotten over the traumatic period and still “has difficulty engaging with that specific moment in history, for good or ill.”
The Gulf War was really a traumatic period in Kuwait’s history. Reportedly, nearly 100,000 people died, five million were displaced, and more than $200 billion worth of property was damaged. Additionally, Iraqi soldiers used to rape, torture, and murder Kuwaiti people brutally.
Call of Duty’s History of Getting Banned in Different Countries Over Decades
Black Ops 6 isn’t the only game to get banned. Activision’s widely renowned first-person shooter franchise has faced multiple bans previously as well. Most of these games focus on the wars and the real incidents that happened during these wars. This often hurts the sentiments of different nations, and the games receive bans.
For example, take Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. This game was banned in Pakistan because the authorities found that the game portrayed the country as a failure where the intelligence agencies are in league with al-Qaeda.
Going forward, Modern Warfare 2 was banned in Russia. This ban was because of a scene where the game portrayed players helping Russian ultranationalist terrorists harass civilians in an airport.
Finally, the Black Ops Cold War trailer was banned in China for showing the footage from the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. Though China never released any official count, assumingly, this massacre has taken thousands of lives.
These are some of the controversies that Call of Duty games have been involved in before Black Ops 6.
