Just days before its global launch, the government of Kuwait has officially announced that they will be blocking Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 from releasing inside their borders.
The game, which was set to hit store shelves on October 25th, will no longer be available in Kuwait due to a last-minute decision by government regulators.
In a statement issued to IGN about the situation, an Activision spokesperson expressed hope that the game would eventually see release inside the country.
“Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has not been approved for release in Kuwait,” said the spokesperson. “At this time, the title will not be available for release in the region. As a result, all pre-orders in Kuwait will be canceled 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.”
As of writing, neither Activision nor anyone from within the Kuwaiti government has provided an official reason for the ban.
However, many of the same gamers and industry insiders who raised their eyebrows have speculated that the game was banned due to its portrayal of the historical Gulf War, as not only does the conflict holds significant historical and political weight in the Middle East, but Black Ops 6‘s promotional materials feature appearances by numerous world leaders involved in its events, including U.S. President George H.W. Bush, U.K. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and even Iraq President Saddam Hussein.
In addition to these historical cameos, the game is also set to recreate actual events from the war, including the initial Invasion of Kuwait, as took place on August 2, 1990. Given the sensitive nature of the war in the country’s history, it’s plausible that the Kuwait government took issue with how the events were depicted in the game.
As one would imagine, reactions have been all over the place, with many players racking their brains trying to understand the reasoning behind Kuwait’s decision.
On Twitter, a user claiming to be located in Kuwait mentioned that they were an active player in the game’s beta, and even they were just now hearing of the ban for the first time.
“I’m Kuwaiti, and so far we haven’t heard any mention of that through official sources which in this case the Ministry of Information,” said @i_WICK3D. “I played the beta. Let’s see”.
Another user, GoldnX, shared his sympathies for those in Kuwait won’t be able to access the game, bluntly asserting, “F in the chat for Kuwait”.
Others had a more ‘social media-esqie’ reaction to the news, like @itzcentric, who in response to the news observed, “Sounds like they have to Ku-wait to play it.”
And while the people of Kuwait will in fact have to wait for an eventual release date, for the fans across the rest of the world who are anxiously prepping for the game’s release by getting their best ‘I’m too sick to come in to work today’ speech ready, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is still on track to hit shelves globally on October 25th.
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