Kuwait Ban Call of Duty: A lot of gamers are excited about Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and a lot of them have already preordered or bought Xbox Game Passes to get access right away. Kuwait is the only country that doesn’t allow the game to be sold at all, though. The decision was made because of how Saddam Hussein is portrayed. The picture of him brings back painful memories of Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in the early 1990s.
Putting such a controversial character in a well-known video game has caused heated arguments about how to handle and honor historical events, especially those that had a big impact on the country. Because of this, Kuwait’s government doesn’t want the game to come out because they don’t want any problems or backlash from their people.
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Due to its depiction of Saddam Hussein, Kuwait prohibits the sale of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, one of the most eagerly awaited video games of 2024, is banned from sale in Kuwait. This decision stems from the game’s partial setting during Operation Desert Storm, the military campaign led by the U.S. and an international coalition to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi occupation, which was under the command of Saddam Hussein. Activision has confirmed that the game “has not been approved for release in Kuwait.”
Iraq’s Ban on Kuwait
According to The Star, the backdrop of this ban is rooted in the historical tensions that began when Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990. Prior to this invasion, Iraq was already economically weakened from the lengthy Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), which had devastated both nations. During that conflict, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, including Kuwait, provided significant military and financial support to Iraq to curb Iranian influence. However, after the war, Iraq expected these debts to be forgiven, which did not happen.
This failure to relieve Iraq’s financial burdens contributed to escalating tensions with its former allies, ultimately culminating in the invasion of Kuwait. Given this context, the portrayal of such sensitive historical events in a popular video game has raised concerns in Kuwait, leading to the ban.
Iraq retaliated by accusing Kuwait of purposefully lowering oil prices through overproduction. This exacerbated Iraq’s financial crisis by rendering many of its oil fields unprofitable.
These escalating tensions led Saddam Hussein to decide to invade Kuwait in 1990 in order to annex the country and take control of its oil fields. The United States spearheaded an international coalition that swiftly responded to the invasion and, acting under a UN mandate, was able to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait in 1991.
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Even in fictional media like video games, showing Saddam Hussein is illegal in Kuwait due to the extent of Iraqi invasion and occupation. The Kuwaiti government has banned Black Ops 6 sales because of him, not the game. Activision promises that reservations have been canceled and that buyers in that country will get their money back in full.
