Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War trailer gets censored in China over Tiananmen Square crackdown footage
- The trailer for the next highly anticipated Call of Duty game shows a second-long clip of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests
- Call of Duty got into trouble in China in 2012 after showing a fictional World War II bombing of Beijing
The next highly anticipated game in the hit Call of Duty franchise isn’t even out yet, but its new trailer is already being censored in China.
One of the clips shows protesters in Beijing on top of an armoured vehicle during the student-led protest in 1989 that culminated in a brutal military crackdown.
The clip is just shy of a second long, but some eagle-eyed viewers were quick to recognise it. That was enough to get the censors to roll in.
Anything from rubber ducks to iPads are being used to keep the memory of Tiananmen alive
While the event is now infamous internationally, the Tiananmen crackdown remains a taboo topic in mainland China.
Some gamers have expressed concerned about the impact of showing the Tiananmen clip, saying on social media that they fear the new Call of Duty game could be banned in China. The Cold War theme also appears to have hit a nerve for some on Weibo, who compared it to the ongoing tensions between the US and China.
The new game will get a full reveal on August 26. If it does face problems in China, it wouldn’t be the first time for the franchise.