EA and DICE face backlash for allegedly using Gaza war photos in Battlefield 2025 promotional art, sparking an ethical debate over using real conflict imagery in games.
Although the new Battlefield has not been released yet, a serious accusation is already making waves: EA and DICE are alleged to have used images from the Gaza conflict in their promotional materials. A user on X recently pointed out a striking similarity between a concept image for the upcoming Battlefield and a picture of a real-life tragedy, raising concerns about the source of the images used.
Similar or identical?
The controversy started when X user DANNYonPC made quite the impressive observation. After seeing the newly published promotional artwork by EA, he noticed a single cloud of smoke in the picture. He claimed that this cloud had been cut out from a photo of a bombing in Gaza from 2021 and shamelessly used by EA to promote the new Battlefield.
Damn, DICE is using pictures from attacks on Gaza in their BF2025 artwork.. pic.twitter.com/JRb137Jv0C
— DANNYonPC (@DANNYonPC) January 19, 2025
While some argue it was an intentional use, others contend that the footage may not have been used with ill intent or was simply accidental. This sparked arguments about the use of real-life tragedies for visual effects references, a debate that has not been raised for the first time.
Ethical Concerns in VFX Usage
Often, VFX artists use real-life footage as a basis to create new visual effects. Sometimes, handmade props are used on set just as a reference, so they can later be replaced by digital images. The case of the explosion used in the Battlefield artwork is not even the first time a real-life explosion has been used as a reference.
In the trailer for the sci-fi movie The Creator, we see a nuclear explosion in a city. In a side-by-side comparison, it’s clear that the VFX artists used the real-life explosion in Beirut as a reference, using the exact same buildings. After the controversy started, that footage did not end up in the actual film.
This raises the question: Is it disrespectful to use footage of a tragedy where 213 people died to make your sci-fi movie look better? Images of real wars have been used in movies many times. Is that also questionable, or is it acceptable because the footage is not altered?
Do you think the usage was intentional, and is it ethically okay? Share your thoughts in the comments!