Call of Duty franchise has depicted a lot of real life characters and their stories in these games sometimes have been a cause of trouble for publisher Activision. One of the games from the series is Treyarch developed Black Ops II which has been amongst the centre of controversies.
The fresh one comes from a family of an Angolan rebel chief Jonas Savimbi for his depiction in the game. The company is being sued by the family of Jonas Savimbi seeking €1 million for the portrayal of his character in the video game.
The game depicts Savimbi as the leader who is combating against Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) in the first story mission of Call of Duty Black Ops II with player assisting him. He is portrayed shouting “fight, my brothers” whilst using a grenade launcher.
Three of Savimbi’s children claim Activision depicted their father as a ‘barbarian’ during his appearance in the 2012 shooter, The Guardian reports.
Savimbi was responsible for a decades-long insurgency against the communist backed Angolan government. He died in battle against government forces in 2002. Country’s bloody civil war left 500,000 people dead and more displaced.
A lawyer for Activision Blizzard, Etienne Kowalski, has rejected the claim, stating that the game shows Savimbi as a good guy – and that he is portrayed fairly, for who he was, a character of Angolan history, a guerrilla chief who fought the MPLA.
Previously too, Call of Duty: Black Ops II had stepped into legal tangle when Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega tried to sue the company, his appearance in the game which he claimed Activision did not take permission for. The suit was dismissed later with Activision always insisted that depiction of dictator Noriega in Black Ops II was a transformative use, and is thus protected free speech under the First Amendment.