'Call of Duty: WWII' sparks controversy after graphic scene shows 2 people hanging from tree

SILVER SPRING, Md. - A disturbing scene in a popular new video game has prompted outrage on social media after people said the images are offensive.

Call of Duty: WWII was released earlier this month and takes place in Europe. The controversial scene apparently occurs during the second campaign mission of the game and shows a player coming across the bodies of two men hanging from a tree.

A quick search on social media shows many people shocked because it looks like a lynching in the Civil War-era of the United States.

The Call of Duty video game series is extremely popular and this latest edition is out just in time for the holidays.

“I can see why it can be very controversial, but it’s up to people to see,” said one customer at a GameStop store in Silver Spring. “But I can see why this is very wrong. Just seeing people being hanged and especially how they look, it can be portrayed as almost like the South.”

“I couldn’t even imagine coming across that during regular playing,” said another customer. “I understand [video games] are violent, but that is very inappropriate I think.”

On Twitter, comments poured in with some saying they will not be spending their money on the game this year. Others are calling for an outright boycott until the scene is removed.

But there are also those who say it is all an overreaction. One person pointed out that during war, lynching was not exclusive to one country or race.

According to Activision, the publisher of the game, the scene takes place in Saint-Lo, France after the Invasion of Normandy:

It is important to point out that this game is rated M for mature, which means the game is suitable for players age 17 and older.