It has been more than 20 years since the United States sent troops into Panama to overthrow a dictatorship. But Manuel Noriega, the displaced military dictator, has appeared in combat again — and he isn’t happy about it.
The former dictator’s face was used in Call of Duty: Black Ops II, a game put out by Activision Blizzard Inc. in November 2012. The aging deposed dictator is seeking lost profits and other damages.
Court documents filed by Noriega’s attorney allege that the game portrays him as “a kidnapper, murderer and enemy of the state,” in order “to heighten realism in its game.” He and his lawyers argue that this “translates directly into heightened sales” for Activision.
Since the game netted more than $1 billion in sales during the first two weeks after its November, 2012 launch, greed might be motivating Noriega to sue, hoping that he can get his piece of the pie. It certainly seems strange that a man who was tried for money laundering in three countries would balk at being portrayed as a criminal. A Call of Duty fan site says that in the game’s plot, Noriega helps the CIA capture the villain before changing his allegiance.
At this point several valid questions come to mind. The first of which is, what sort of realism does a 30-year-old picture of a dictator actually add? Most of the kids play Call of Duty weren’t even born when he was deposed. And secondly, when you are already sitting in a prison cell in Panama, haven’t you demonstrated that you’re a crook?
(h/t The DC)
