Activison facing lawsuit over Black Ops 2’s portrayal of ‘halfwit, barbarian’ rebel leader

Activision is not unfamiliar with being sued over how they portray political figures in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. In 2014, the former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega sued the publishers for apparently using his likeness without his permission and portraying him in a way he did not approve.

Ultimately, the case was dismissed by the court after Activision pulled out all the stops, refusing to allow this case to "open the floodgates" of lawsuits over the depiction of real-life individuals in games, movies, TV shows or books.

A new lawsuit has been filed against Activision on behalf of former Angolan rebel leader Jonas Savimbi. Savimbi isn't suing the company himself, his three children are, seeing as he died in 2002 in a firefight against Angolan government troops.

Savimbi's children argue that the rebel leader was a "political leader and strategist" – not a "barbarian" or a "big halfwit who wants to kill everybody,"  as Activision protrayed him to be.

Activision's legal representative released a statement to The Guardian (via GameSpot) saying that the lawsuit has no grounds. According to Activision, Black Ops II portrays Savimbi as a "good guy," that they depicted him as "a character of Angolan history, a guerrilla chief who fought the MPLA [People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola]."

Here's a video of Savimbi in Black Ops 2, is he depicted as a "big halfwit" or as a "good guy?"