Activision's Hidden Partnership with Remington for In-Game Gun Promotion Revealed

Warning: this article contains discussions of violence against minors. A previously undisclosed agreement between Activision and Remington has come to light, in which the latter's Adaptive Combat Rifle was featured in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. This information emerged from internal Remington documents obtained during the discovery phase of a lawsuit filed by the parents of children killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, in which 26 people, mostly first graders, lost their lives. The perpetrator used an AR-15 manufactured by Remington, which recently settled the lawsuit for $73 million. The deal between Activision and Remington did not involve any financial transactions, but both parties agreed to maintain confidentiality. Internal documents from Remington and its parent conglomerate, the Freedom Group, reveal efforts to secure similar partnerships to boost their appeal among younger audiences. According to a Freedom Group memo, 'as urbanization increases and access to shooting and hunting areas declines, virtual gaming scenarios become a primary means for young potential shooters to interact with firearms and ammunition.' Executives discussed building brand loyalty among 'the next generation' and securing 'our fair share of these young consumers.' Another memo from the Freedom Group noted that while the company would not allow its brands to be used in games where players could target 'non-military bad guys,' it was acceptable for replicas of their guns to appear in such titles. 'Previous experience tells us people will seek out the brands of the guns,' the memo stated. 'Lack of direct branding helps shield us from implications of direct endorsement while still benefiting from inclusion in the game.' John C. Trull, former Remington VP of product management for firearms, told the Journal that company executives were unaware of Call of Duty's multiplayer modes at the time of the agreement. 'The concept of online lobbies where players engaged each other in 'team deathmatches' was unfamiliar,' Trull said. 'I believe that if anyone had known then what we know now about how these games evolved, the decisions would have been different.'