Government officials have not publicly commented on the ban, but Activision confirmed to Polygon BlackOps6 “has not been approved for release in Kuwait.” Pre-orders made in Kuwait will be canceled and refunded, the company said. “We remain hopeful that local authorities will reconsider and allow players in Kuwait to enjoy this all-new experience in the Black Ops series,” a representative added.
The Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry did not respond to Polygon’s request for comment before publication. Activision did not give a reason for the blocked sales in Kuwait.
BlackOps6 was released on Friday, the next major installment in the popular Activision franchise. Although there are six in the title, BlackOps6 is actually the seventh in the Black Ops franchise after 2020 Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. BlackOps6 is set in the early 1990s and focuses on secret missions in historical war situations. The new game is set during the Gulf War, when the late Iraqi dictator Hussein invaded Kuwait in what was a 42 days of occupation. BlackOps6 trailers alternate archive footage of US Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton with in-game footage, with one scene appearing to show oil wells on fire; it is probably a reference to the Iraqi soldiers set fire to 700 oil wellsan event that caused ecological and economic disasters for Kuwait.
“The move to block this game may seem theatrical, because people will find ways to buy this game if they really want it, through VPN or by paying a higher price on the black market,” a local gaming analyst from Kuwait told The New Arab. “What’s more interesting here is the authorities’ motivation to block a game set during a traumatic period for Kuwait: the Gulf War. To this day, Kuwait struggles to deal with that particular moment in history, for better or for worse.”