Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s Amsterdam Level Could Prompt Legal Action

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s Amsterdam level has already triggered a range of reactions, including some Dutch people praising its realistic depiction of the famous city. However, not all the press is positive, as it seems that a hotel that’s clearly depicted in the game is considering possible legal action against publisher Activision Blizzard.

As reported by the Dutch outlet de Volksrant, the five-star Conservatorium Hotel appears under the name Breenbergh in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and the hotel’s manager isn’t happy about its depiction as a warzone. In real life, the Conservatorium itself is a former bank building designed by the famous Dutch architect Daniel Knuttel, which was converted into a luxury hotel in the 1980s.

“We have taken note of the fact that the Conservatorium Hotel is undesirably the scene of the new Call of Duty,” the hotel’s manager Roy Tomassen said. “More generally, we don’t support games that seem to encourage the use of violence. The game in no way reflects our core values and we regret our apparent and unwanted involvement.”

While this statement stops short of actual legal action, the implication is definitely there. It’s not clear how such a lawsuit would shake out in either American or European courts, or even what form this legal action might take. A similar controversy took place back in 2006, when Insomniac’s Resistance: Fall of Man used the Manchester Cathedral as the inspiration for a level, which inspired legal action. Ultimately, Sony apologized to the Church of England for the decision, though the company was not found to have violated any copyright laws.