Modern Warfare 2 in Russia: Not Banned, Just Censored

Hey now, just because Russia might not enjoy the Modern Warfare 2 scene where you join Russian terrorists in killing civilians at an airport, but that doesn’t mean the country banned or recalled Modern Warfare 2 outright, as reported. It was actually Activision that took a preemptive step of censoring the game, removing that scene so as not to offend an entire country. The game went on sale in Russia on November 10, same as everywhere else. I guess the idea of making a big, controversial statement by putting gamers in an uncomfortable position is only worthwhile if you can keep selling more copies.

“Other countries have formal ratings boards that we regularly work with. However, Russia does not have a formal ratings entity. As a result, we chose to block the scene after seeking the advice of local counsel,” Activision told Edge. Because the game’s PC version was probably patched upon launch, you can’t rule out that Activision did recall the console version of the game. The publisher didn’t explicitly deny that possibility in its statement, and so far Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 owners can’t get Modern Warfare 2. Just one question, though: Aren’t the Russians used to getting portrayed as the bad guy in American entertainment? [Edge via CVG]