Summary
Activisionhas filed a comprehensive defense in response to lawsuits stemming from the tragic Uvalde school shooting in 2022. The lawsuits, brought forth by families of the victims in May 2024, allege that the shooter was influenced by violent content inActivision’sCall of Dutyseries.
According toGame File, Activision has formally responded to the California lawsuit, submitting a 150-page defense last December. The company denied all allegations and argued there was no direct connection betweenCall of Dutyand theRobb Elementary School tragedy. Activision also sought the dismissal of the lawsuit under California’s anti-SLAPP laws, which aim to protect free speech rights from legal abuse. In a separate filing, the publisher emphasized thatCall of Dutyis an expressive work protected by the First Amendment, asserting that claims against the game based on its “hyper-realistic content” contradict this fundamental right.
Activision Defends Call of Duty in Uvalde Lawsuit
To support its defense, Activision included a 35-page declaration from Notre Dame professor Matthew Thomas Payne, who argued thatCall of Dutyfollows the tradition of military realism seen in war films and TV, rather than being a “training camp for mass shooters” as the lawsuit suggested. Additionally, Patrick Kelly, head of creative forCall of Duty, provided a 38-page submission detailing the game’s design, including information on the$700 million budget forCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. These documents are part of Activision’s broader strategy to challenge the claims made by the Uvalde families, aiming to counter the legal arguments presented in the lawsuit.
Activision’s submitted documentation includes much more detail, and the Uvalde families have until late February to respond to these filings. While the outcome of this case remains uncertain, it is worth noting thatviolent video games have frequently been blamed in the past for mass shootings, making this case part of a broader ongoing debate.
