Activision Blizzard is being sued for $1 million by the family of Angolan rebel fighter Jonas Savimbi over his depiction in Call of Duty: Black Ops II.
Three of Savimbi’s children say the game depicts their father – who founded the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) – as a “barbarian”.
Savimbi does feature in the game by name and is the focal point for a fictional battle during Operation Alpha Centauri. In the scene, Savimbi is seen wielding a grenade launcher and shouting, “fight my brothers!” a lot.
The family’s lawyer Carole Enfert said Savimbi is represented as a, “big halfwit who wants to kill everybody.” The lawsuit, if accepted by the French court (the family lives in France), will argue that he was in fact a “political leader and strategist.”
You can judge the portrayal of him for yourself in the clip below.
Activision Blizzard has responded to the allegation, claiming its depiction of Savimbi makes him look like a “good guy” and that he was portrayed, “for who he was … a character of Angolan history, a guerrilla chief who fought the MPLA [Movement for the Liberation of Angola].”
Perhaps the one note of contention we have for the suit is, the game was released in 2012, but the lawsuit has only just come about, nearly four years later. What gives?
➤ Call of Duty publisher sued by family of Angolan rebel [Guardian]
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