Activision are being sued by the family of Angolan Rebel Chief Jonas Savimbi for €1 million, for the way he was depicted in 2012’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. Who saw that coming? Definitely not Activision.
Savimbi appears in the first mission of Black Ops 2, as you fight by his side in support of his rebel army. However, three of Savimbi’s children aren’t happy with his appearance in the game at all, claiming that he is represented as a barbarian, and not as a political leader and strategist.
Savimbi became famous for leading the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) which fought a 27 year civil war with the government in Luanda.
He was killed in a battle in 2002 against MPLA government forces in 2002, and in doing so acted as the catalyst for a peace deal that would bring an end to one of Africa’s longest conflicts, leaving at least half a million dead, and forcing around four million civilians to flee.
SA HistoryYou can watch the Call of Duty version of Savimbi yourself in the video below, and decide which side of the fence you come down on.
Naturally, Activision lawyer Etienne Kowalski denies these claims. She’s said that Savimbi is represented for who he was, and is actually shown in a pretty good light, what with him coming to the aid of the Americans and all.
The complaint also mentions that Savimbi’s son (who closely resembles his dad) is often recognised in the street as a result of the Black Ops 2 appearance. There are worse things to be recognised for, we suppose. But then, there are much better things to be recognised for too.
Ewan Moore is a journalist at UNILAD Gaming who still quite hasn’t gotten out of his mid 00’s emo phase. After graduating from the University of Portsmouth in 2015 with a BA in Journalism & Media Studies (thanks for asking), he went on to do some freelance words for various places, including Kotaku, Den of Geek, and TheSixthAxis, before landing a full time gig at UNILAD in 2016.