How Remington Targeted A Younger Audience Through Covert Firearm Promotion In 'Call Of Duty,' Other Shooting Video Games

According to newly discovered court documents, leading U.S. gun manufacturer Remington Arms covertly arranged to highlight one of its rifles within the renowned video game series, “Call of Duty.” The internal correspondences and business records unveil an unseen affiliation between the firearm industry and video game creators.

What Happened: The documents, tracing back to the late 2000s and early 2010s, reveal that Remington and its parent company Freedom Group aimed to integrate their firearms into shooting video games to reach younger audiences, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The idea was to introduce potential young shooters to guns and ammunition virtually, using this as a marketing tactic targeting a younger demographic.

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In 2009, a confidential agreement was signed between Remington and video game conglomerate Activision Blizzard ATVI — recently acquired by Microsoft Corporation — to introduce their latest weapon, the Adaptive Combat Rifle (ACR), in the popular game “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2”.

This was part of a larger plan to advertise military-style semi-automatics to younger clients, according to the report. No monetary transactions were reportedly involved in this agreement between the two companies.

These findings prompt questions about the impact of video games on real-life gun sales. Remington’s officials perceived video games as a critical factor in attracting new firearm buyers, a belief that got stronger when “Modern Warfare 2” sold over 22 million copies.

Although the ACR gained popularity in the game, it faced several issues, including a recall due to a design flaw, which eventually led to its discontinuation following years of poor sales.

Why It Matters: The documents were procured by a lawyer from a lawsuit filed by the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre victims’ parents in 2012. The lawsuit and the revealed documents expose the connection between the ongoing issue of gun violence and the marketing strategies of gun manufacturers.

The alarming rise in school shootings and mass shootings in recent years has sparked widespread concern, with gun violence becoming the leading cause of death among American children and teenagers. This, along with public figures like Oprah Winfrey calling out lawmakers over the issue, underlines the significance of the revealed marketing tactics and their potential implications.

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