Tue, Oct 23, 2012 | 09:35 BST
MW2: Favela map edited to remove offensive material, returns to multiplayer
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 map ‘Favela’ courted controversy after gamers found Islamic text around a painting frame located in a bathroom, which is frowned upon by the religion. The map is now back in rotation on PS3 after being edited, with PC and Xbox 360 to follow. Get the full story below.
Eurogamer reports that Favela has now been patched on PS3 to remove the Islamic text, courtesy of a 17MB game update, as confirmed by MP1st.
Eurogamer confirms that the text around the picture frame read, “Allah is beautiful and He loves beauty”, but that it has now been removed on the PS3 version of the game. PC and Xbox 360 gamers can expect Favela to return shortly.
Here’s what the room housing the painting used to look like:
Here’s what it looks like now:
Activision also issued the following statement: “Activision and our development studios are respectful of diverse cultures and religious beliefs, and sensitive to concerns raised by its loyal game players,” Activision said in a statement. “We thank our fans for bringing this to our attention.”
Missed the original story? Check it out here:
40 comments
#1
JimFear-666
23/10/12, 9:44 am
yeah right.
fuck these p.r bullshit.
Why they just dont say “we dont want our activision headquarter bombed by a kamikaze who did not like what we did before”
Seriously, as a catholic im really offended by the senseless violence in call of duty. I would ask to Activision to remove the violence in the game please.
#2
Talkar
23/10/12, 9:49 am
^As a catholic you are offended by violence? That gotta be the most contradicting statement i’ve heard in a while x)
#3
foofly
23/10/12, 9:53 am
This game offends me with it’s bland gameplay and blatant rinsing of it’s community with premium DLC. I want it removed.
#4
Erthazus
23/10/12, 10:15 am
^ Ahahaha
Yes!
#5
Fin
23/10/12, 10:17 am
@4
Bro, didn’t you play MW2 for like 400 hours?
#6
OrbitMonkey
23/10/12, 10:20 am
^ & he hated EVERY GODDAMNED MINUTE!!
#7
OrbitMonkey
23/10/12, 10:22 am
Joking aside, I’d like to know how long you’d have to be camping in that bathroom, before you noticed the writing on a picture frame :-/
#8
G1GAHURTZ
23/10/12, 10:28 am
♥ IW!
#9
SameeR_Fisher
23/10/12, 10:38 am
As a Muslim I give my thanks to Activision & Infinity Ward, the whole Islamic Community appreciate such a move, and will continue to support CoD, heck even I am considering buying Black Ops 2, anyway thanks again.
#10
Erthazus
23/10/12, 10:58 am
@5, No bro, it was Black Ops. Your point?
I played more than 600 hours of Diablo III and it is a mediocre game in my opinion. Your point?
I played Flower for 3 hours and liked it a lot. Your point?
#11
Fin
23/10/12, 11:13 am
@10
Ah ok. How long did you play MW2 for?
My point is: you’re a dumbass.
#12
YoungZer0
23/10/12, 1:00 pm
Hurray for freedom of speech.
#13
OrbitMonkey
23/10/12, 1:10 pm
Hooray for professional integrity.
#14
ps3fanboy
23/10/12, 1:25 pm
Hooray for a minority of extremists can control my video games.
#15
drewbles82
23/10/12, 1:34 pm
In my religion, we are offended by mirrors and toilet seats, so please remove these from all games out of respect for our ways.
#16
Deacon
23/10/12, 1:38 pm
Hoorah for make believe friends and the ‘heroes’ who wrote to Activision. The mere thought of it offends me.
#17
KrazyKraut
23/10/12, 1:47 pm
Hooray for first world problems.
#18
absolutezero
23/10/12, 1:54 pm
Those fucking black texture free borders ha ah ha.
What if they just painted over the texture, would that not be more offensive?
#19
stretch215
23/10/12, 2:06 pm
Oh, the ignorance! It hurts my eyes! Some of you guys have to be teenagers. If something was offensive to you, would you not want it removed? It’s simple, really. Some of you need to grow up.
#20
OrbitMonkey
23/10/12, 2:07 pm
@14, Yeah, internet fanboys kicking up a fuss over nothing are tiresome aren’t they? :-/
#21
ManuOtaku
23/10/12, 2:14 pm
Oh man this somehow represents one of the biggest problem of our society since the very beginning, a one that it doenst matter how well educated we are, or how far we are in the technological aspect, the lack of empathy, if something doenst affects me, i dont care, even if affects my neighbour, friend or co-worker, i dont care untill affects me.
#22
Deacon
23/10/12, 2:24 pm
If there was a picture of my mother on a COD map, dick firmly in mouth and a face plastered with jizz, I would NOT be offended. Some might, I get that. And they would have reason to.
The very words “Allah is beautiful and He loves beauty” is not copyrighted material, it’s just words. ANYONE could be offended by ANY random sequence of words. This is twattish, unnecessary censorship. Apply this same rule to what OTHERS may find offensive and soon we’ll have no in-game writing or imagery of any kind. Where does it stop, is what I’m trying to say.
[EDIT: Apols - I think there may have already been a thread with this discussion. I didn't have the pleasure of participating then, but wanted to get my opinion in!]
#23
Fin
23/10/12, 2:31 pm
@22
Dude…you have any pics of ur ma?
#24
Deacon
23/10/12, 2:34 pm
You wouldn’t.
#25
G1GAHURTZ
23/10/12, 2:36 pm
@23:
Hasn’t everyone got pics of Deacon’s mum?
You must be like, the only one…
#26
OrbitMonkey
23/10/12, 2:47 pm
What I love is how all the internet freedom fighters are acting like this was a attack on free speech, rofl, dicks.
Activision made a mistake! A unintentional mistake. It was corrected. End off.
#27
xxJPRACERxx
23/10/12, 3:01 pm
@19 If something is offensive to some people then they just need to stop watching/playing it. Other people don’t have to be penalized because of that. The creators created the map that way and they must respect their vision. If they don’t just too bad, but nobody is forcing them to watch/play it.
@26 It wasn’t a mistake and now it’s censorship.
#28
absolutezero
23/10/12, 3:09 pm
The creators never even knew what the fuck it was they were using. So its not some great fucking vision, they picked a nice looking texture that just so happened to be holy text and then they shoved it in a toilet. Which is offensive to those of the faith.
Why is that so very fucking hard to understand?
Its not offensive in the sameway as a bad joke is offensive either. Its not about well just don’t go in there, no the name of God is now in a toilet and thats a pretty big deal to a religion that puts so much weight on the word of God.
#29
OrbitMonkey
23/10/12, 3:20 pm
@27, Oh it wasn’t a mistake? Well genius, please link me to the Activision site where they explain the point they were trying to make? What artistic vision did they have in mind when they reused a asset from one of their middle-eastern maps?
#30
Deacon
23/10/12, 3:27 pm
@28 – but IT’S A VIDEOGAME. None of it is real. It’s entertainment.
If I was one of you religious lot I’d be chuffed to see a shout out to my ‘God’ up on a wall in a videogame.
#31
absolutezero
23/10/12, 3:35 pm
Im not religious in the slightest.
Im also not ignorant either. Video game or movie or book or anything you do not put the word Allah in whatever language it might be in a toilet and expect people of faith to not get upset about it.
#32
OrbitMonkey
23/10/12, 3:38 pm
@30, Well it’s hard to explain to someone who has no beliefs. Suffice to say, you don’t get it. So stop trying to argue the point you don’t get… Your ignorance is showing.
#33
G1GAHURTZ
23/10/12, 3:48 pm
“If something is offensive to some people then they just need to stop watching/playing it.”
Do you think that Acti/IW want people to stop playing CoD?
#34
xxJPRACERxx
23/10/12, 5:38 pm
I understand the reason of the debate. But the level designer saw that texture and decided to use it, period. It’s his decision even if at the time he didn’t understand the implication of his choice. Maybe next time he should be more careful, but again, imo, the level was done this way and must stay that way.
I’m just against all kind of censorship, except if a personal individual is targeted and there’s harm to the privacy or the integrity of the person concerned.
#35
Da Man
23/10/12, 5:44 pm
Dickon being a pseudointelligent f-wit while getting angry at people flaming Sony, calling them pseudointelligent f-wits.
Top satire.
#36
G1GAHURTZ
23/10/12, 6:01 pm
@34:
Again, I ask you, do you think that Acti/IW want people to stop playing CoD?
Of course not.
They don’t, that’s why they took the texture out.
Nobody is censoring them, or saying what they can or can’t do.
One person, who has 60k followers on YouTube, asked them to remove it at the threat of a boycott, and IW made the change.
This has nothing whatsoever to do with censorship.
Acti/IW are businesses. Their sole purpose is to make money. It’s their conscious decision to make products that make money.
Do you really think that the level artist, IW and Acti give two hoots about that texture?
If they’d known what was on it in the first place, they wouldn’t have put it in there. Why? Because they’re a business, and they want to make money, and offending a quarter of the population of the earth is going to leave somewhat of a dent in your sales.
So why does it concern you when IW make their own conscious choice to make a product which is universally acceptable?
Or is it just that you’re a CoD hater, and you’d prefer it if CoD was offensive and lost sales?
#37
xxJPRACERxx
23/10/12, 7:10 pm
Here is one definition of the word censorship: “The practice of officially examining books, movies, etc., and suppressing unacceptable parts”.
Of course Activision don’t want to lose sales, but by “suppressing unacceptable parts” it is censorship.
But I think money is more important than making good, and yes, any form of censorship is bad because this remove freedom. Like I’ve said, if you’re offended by it then don’t watch it but accept that other people are not offended by it and should have the right so see it the way it was created.
#38
OrbitMonkey
23/10/12, 7:30 pm
^ Your defending a typo as if it was artistic vision. A overworked programmer fucked up, deal with it.
Of all the things worthy of defending, a silly error Activision have owned up to, is slightly pathetic.
Not that your really defending it, just using it as a excuse to bash a unhip religion. You Che Guevara you :-/
#39
xxJPRACERxx
23/10/12, 7:56 pm
^ Ok, I’ve done some research and maybe I exaggerated. I’ve seen the offended text (I wasn’t able to see it in the picture above) and I would have prefer that the map stay that way but at the same time I agree that removing it is not a big deal and don’t really change anything overall. Case closed.
#40
G1GAHURTZ
23/10/12, 8:08 pm
“I agree that removing it is not a big deal and don’t really change anything overall. Case closed.”
+1