It is common for different games, movies, and other media content to differ slightly from region to region, in order to abide by the general laws of the region. For example, despite having the same developers, games must meet country-specific rules when released in different regions like Europe or the Americas.
Such a censorship has taken place in the latest addition to the Call of Duty series, Modern Warfare II, wherein the developers have had to hide Pride flag calling cards from players in the Middle East.
Calling cards are a signature customization feature in the Call of Duty series and have been a part of it since the series’ first release. They allow players to show off their achievements and grant them bragging rights, as some calling cards require competing a tough challenge to unlock.
When you eliminate an enemy, your calling card is shown in the kill cam at the bottom of the screen. However, it seems that the Middle East version of the game has decided to not show any calling cards with the well-known rainbow colors of the Pride flag on them.
A Reddit user, AlxKing22, shared a screenshot showing the calling card in a kill cam when seen through both the Middle Eastern and the US versions of the game. The Middle Eastern version censors the colors and shows a dark calling card. Meanwhile, the US version shows the full calling card as intended.
It is well-known that the Middle East is much less tolerant of same-sex relations when compared to the Americas or Europe, an issue that has been highlighted further after Qatar hosted the recent World Cup.
Call of Duty games have a huge following worldwide, and that does not exclude Middle Eastern countries. If Activision wanted to sell the latest Call of Duty game in the Middle East region, it appears they had to give into the local regulations.
