Actual ex-dictator Manuel Noriega is suing Activision for making him look bad in 'Call of Duty'

Actual ex-dictator Manuel Noriega is suing Activision for making him look bad in 'Call of Duty'
(Image credit: Activision)

As Chevy Chase might have said, Generalissimo Manuel Noriega is still alive — and he's suing Activision Blizzard. On Tuesday, Noriega — the 80-year-old former strongman of Panama whom the U.S. deposed and arrested for drug trafficking in 1989-90 — filed suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court against the video game giant for including his name and image in its hit game "Call of Duty: Black Ops II."

Noriega, out of prison and living in Panama, says that "Black Ops II" paints him as "a kidnapper, murderer, and enemy of the state." Activision is profiting from the heightened "realism" his virtual presence (and "numerous fictional heinous crimes") brings to the game, the lawsuit argues. Noriega is seeking a cut of the profits — the game raked in $1 billion in its first two weeks alone — and damages of at least $25,000.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.