‘Call Of Duty’ Creator Claims Activision Pushed To Create Game Featuring Invasion Of Israel By Iran

Infinity Ward co-founder and “Call of Duty” creator, Chance Glasco, claimed worldwide developer Activision pushed to include an invasion of Israel by Iran in the game.

Glasco said it all began when the White House released footage on their X account, showing a character calling in a kill streak before clipping to footage of real-world military bombings.

The explosions in the video were presented with “+100” point indicators, mimicking those in “Call of Duty” games. Glasco responded to the video on social media.

“This doesn’t surprise me. I remember after Activision took over post-Respawn formation there was a very awkward pressure from Activision for us to make the next CoD about Iran attacking Israel. Luckily the vast majority of our devs were disgusted by the idea and it got shot down,” he said.

Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue. pic.twitter.com/kTO0DZ56IJ

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 4, 2026

Glasco responded to a X post about the White House’s video, continuing his earlier thoughts about Activision.

“A lot of us devs were appalled because it felt like political propaganda being pushed by Activision,” he said.

Glasco was asked why the particular depiction of an Iranian invasion of Israel was perceived to be propaganda, instead of other fictional military depictions in the U.K. and Mexico.

Call of Duty black ops 7 at the Paris Games Week at the Porte de Versailles Exhibition Center in Paris, France, on October 30, 2025. The largest French video game show opens its doors to welcome thousands of visitors, geeks, and gamers. For its 14th edition, this show, entirely dedicated to video games, is the ideal opportunity to discover new games and try out games before their official release. (Photo by Riccardo Milani / Hans Lucas via AFP) (Photo by RICCARDO MILANI/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)

“My point is that the government would happily use entertainment, including video games, as a way to sway public opinion on major issues,” he replied.

This doesn’t surprise me. I remember after Activision took over post-Respawn formation there was a very awkward pressure from Activision for us to make the next CoD about Iran attacking Israel. Luckily the vast majority of our devs were disgusted by the idea and it got shot down. https://t.co/taTIsQUklI

— Chance Glasco (@ChanceGlasco) March 4, 2026

“There have been decades of pressure for a war with Iran across multiple administrations. The scenarios you mentioned, not so much,” he added.

Glasco further claimed there was no political influence involved in the selection of video game locations during his reign at Infinity Ward.

“My entire time at Infinity Ward (CoD1 through CoD:Ghosts) none of our story choices were motivated by the desire to create any type of propaganda to promote any conflicts,” he said, according to Gamereactor.

After Activision took over Infinity Ward post-Respawn formation, there was pressure from Activision in our preproduction meetings for the next IW CoD to be about Iran attacking Israel. A lot of us devs were appalled because it felt like political propaganda being pushed by…

— Chance Glasco (@ChanceGlasco) March 4, 2026

Glasco asserted that he pushed back against glamorizing war in any capacity.

Referencing Modern Warfare 2 No Russian mission, in which civilians are shot in an airport and players join in, Glasco said, “With Early CoDs we wanted to often remind people that war is hell and not just a video game. If you play the earlier IW CoDs you’ll definitely see that throughout the series.”(RELATED: ‘Call Of Duty’ Franchise Inks Movie Deal With Paramount)

No Russian was initially just a plot point/text on a loading screen in-between levels. My roommate and one of our designers thought it was weird that we just brushed over an entirely f’d up major plot point and treated it like it was nothing.

With Early CoDs we wanted to often…

— Chance Glasco (@ChanceGlasco) March 5, 2026

He reiterated, “We wanted players to feel disgust and we purposefully sought to make them actually feel bad for war.”

“A lot of people didn’t realize this, but you could get through the entire level without shooting a single civilian,” he added.