Press X to Doubt? CoD Movie Director Peter Berg's Decade-Old 'Pathetic Gamers' Comments Reignite Debate
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Call of Duty's upcoming film director, Peter Berg, is facing renewed scrutiny after his decade-old comments resurfaced, where he labelled war games 'pathetic' and players 'weak,' sparking a debate among fans about his suitability for the role and Activision's choice.
Alright, listen up, mates, because we've got a proper blast from the past causing a ruckus in the digital ether. It seems some diligent soul on ResetEra (shout out to user Neat!) performed a bit of digital necromancy, unearthing a rather spicy 2013 interview from Esquire with none other than Peter Berg, the bloke tapped to direct the upcoming Call of Duty film. And what did we find? Oh, just Berg casually dropping some pretty choice words about war games and the folks who play 'em.
Back in the day, when flip phones were still cool and TikTok was but a twinkle in a future algorithm's eye, Berg apparently reckoned that playing war games like Call of Duty was, and I quote, "weak" and "pathetic." Fair dinkum! He went on to say the "only people that I give a Call of Duty get-out-of-jail-free card to is the military," before urging the rest of us keyboard warriors to, you know, 'get outside and do something worthwhile.' Bit rich, isn't it, coming from someone who presumably spends a fair chunk of his own life orchestrating digital explosions for a living, albeit on a different kind of screen?
Now, Berg, whose directorial credits include *Battleship* (we don't talk about *Battleship*) and *Patriots Day*, was apparently Esquire's 'public advocate of American manhood' at the time. He was airing his views that America had gone a bit soft, what with everyone getting participation trophies and not enough people living life 'hard.' He admired the Navy SEAL community's work ethic, the whole 'experience life, participate actively' vibe. And when asked if those very SEALs played CoD? He admitted "some" did, but he still told them it was "pathetic." Bloomin' hell, imagine the awkwardness of that chat over a brew.
Naturally, this resurfacing has sent the CoD community into a bit of a frenzy. On one side, you've got the pragmatists (like ResetEra's Jamesac68) saying, "Hold on, this is over a decade old. People change, mate. Give the chap a chance!" And honestly, they've got a point. A lot can happen in ten years – I once thought wearing socks with sandals was peak fashion. I've grown since then, I hope.
But then there's the other side, and a fair few folks are saying, "Hang on a minute, Activision. You're entrusting one of gaming's biggest IPs to a director who thinks its audience is *pathetic* and *weak*?" LewieP on ResetEra summed it up, saying it's "pretty eyebrow raising" and suggesting there are "a hundred better directors." An X user, @Lobo_Juegos (translated by Eurogamer), echoed the sentiment, fearing it might be a "good military action movie... but not a good CoD movie" if Berg doesn't understand or respect the source material. And that, dear readers, is the magic ingredient, isn't it? Authenticity isn't just about explosions and tactical gear; it's about getting the *vibe* right.
Interestingly, when the film was announced last year (with a release date of June 30, 2028), Activision's head and film producer, Rob Kostich, stated they'd only make a movie "if it's right" and that they wanted to "make sure that the authenticity of it is captured on a human level." One can only wonder if 'human level' includes an understanding of the humans who actually play the game, rather than thinking they're all just... well, you know. I'm genuinely curious to see how this plays out. Will Berg have a redemption arc, or will this film feel like a participation trophy in a league he secretly despises? Only time, and a whole lot of digital wizardry, will tell.
*Original reporting by Victoria Phillips Kennedy for Eurogamer.*
Tags: Call of Duty, Film Adaptation, Gaming Culture, Director Controversy, Hollywood
Original article: Eurogamer