As reported by The Wall Street Journal, Remington Arms, a firearms manufacturer, entered into a previously undisclosed agreement with Activision Blizzard. This arrangement involved incorporating one of Remington’s firearms into the original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, released in 2009.

The information is sourced from documents spanning from the 2000s to the early 2010s, which were recently uncovered and revealed by an attorney involved in a lawsuit against Remington. The lawsuit had been initiated by the parents of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, a tragic event in which a Remington AR-15 was used.

It has long been an open secret that video game developers, particularly those creating popular shooter games like Call of Duty, maintain relationships with both firearms manufacturers and the United States military to enhance the authenticity of their games. However, this revelation provides a rare glimpse into the inner workings of such collaborations.

According to the documents, Remington at that time embarked on this collaboration with the aim of “cultivating brand loyalty among the upcoming generation” and securing the company’s portion of these young consumers in the future.

Their “Gaming Strategy,” as referred to in one of the memos, speculated that “due to the rising urbanization and decreasing accessibility to shooting and hunting locales, virtual gaming scenarios have become a primary avenue for introducing young potential shooters to firearms and ammunition.”

Consequently, Remington entered into a contract with Activision Blizzard to feature its ACR (Adaptive Combat Rifle) in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Both parties maintained strict confidentiality regarding this agreement, and it appears that no financial transaction took place between them.

While the gun was popular in the game, it did not translate to sales offline as the gun’s design was flawed leading to several recalls. Ultimately, Remington discontinued manufacturing of the gun and the deal with the CoD franchise.