Call of Duty’s most controversial mission nearly didn’t happen
Call of Duty employees nearly axed the controversial 'No Russian' mission from 2009's Modern Warfare 2, all after army veteran play-testers walked out.
27th Oct 2023 16:20
Images via Activision
Call of Duty’s most controversial mission nearly didn’t happen
Call of Duty employees nearly axed the controversial 'No Russian' mission from 2009's Modern Warfare 2, all after army veteran play-testers walked out.
27th Oct 2023 16:20
Images via Activision
The long-running Call of Duty series is no stranger to political controversy, often being accused of using US propaganda in its campaigns, but there's one particular mission which stands above the rest.
The infamous No Russian mission from Modern Warfare 2 (2009) lies head and shoulders above any other controversies, as players were pushed to cause atrocious war crimes and slaughter innocent bystanders.
But in its development, it nearly didn't happen. Employees apparently tussled with one side not wanting its publication at all and others claiming it was an overreaction.
Army veteran playtesters refused the No Russian Call of Duty mission
No Russian Mission Developer Mohammad Alavi revealed to IGN that there was a lot of internal pushback on the mission, and specifically whether to even add a content warning - Alavi didn't.
"I felt that was almost being 'This is not worth you playing.' But Jason West was the one that was like, 'No. We have to have this in'," Alavi said.
"He was like, 'This is not about it being a cop-out. This is about allowing people to enjoy the rest of the game, even if they don't agree with this part.'" But even people trying out the game pre-release thought it was a step too far.
Alavi continued to tell IGN that they even had an army veteran come in to play test the campaign, and when he got to No Russian, he stormed out. "He gets to that level and the doors open, and he instantly recognizes that they're all civilians. And he just puts the controller down and leaves the room," Alavi continued.
"He's said, 'I'm not playing that level.' And I was shocked. I was like, 'Wow. Okay. No. This has a strong reaction with some people'."
Call of Duty devs thought people 'overreacted' to No Russian
Interestingly, another variation of No Russian is set to arrive in Call of Duty again, as Modern Warfare 3 has used the namesake quip on multiple marketing campaigns and within its preceding MW2 post-credits scene.
But Alavi actually thinks people initially overreacted to the mission. "There were definitely some people at our company that [objected to No Russian]. I thought they were overreacting," he said.
The developer did confess that retrospectively, they might have been right, but nonetheless, No Russian still stands today. "They were 100% right. I remember one person was like, 'This is offensive. I don't want to play this level'."
Whether MW3's No Russian will be as brutal is yet to be seen, but we do know that innocent people will be seen dying in Verdansk Stadium.
About The Author
Jack Marsh
Jack is an Esports Journalist at GGRecon. Graduating from the University of Chester, with a BA Honours degree in Journalism, Jack is an avid esports enthusiast and specialises in Rocket League, Call of Duty, VALORANT, and trending gaming news.
