Call of Duty: Black Ops II, the latest first-person military shooter from publisher Activision and developer Treyarch released earlier this week to generally positive reviews from critics. The game also has a very noteworthy cameo by former director of the CIA, David Petraeus.
Petraeus, who recently stepped down from his position after an FBI investigation revealed he had an extramarital affair, appears in the video game as the Secretary of Defense in the year 2025. He serves under female President Bosworth. Time Magazine recently noted that President Bosworth "bears a striking resemblance to a certain Secretary of State."
The game never refers to him as David Petraeus, but the character does look like the former four-star general and is named Secretary Petraeus. Actor Jim Meskimen voices the Petraeus character, which is seen in the game boarding an aircraft carrier called the U.S.S. Barack Obama.
In the game, Secretary Petraeus and President Bosworth are shot down while flying over Los Angeles. There is an audio clip in the game that suggests Petraeus' survival.
The Wall Street Journal's blog section reported that Activision Blizzard released the following statement about the appearance:
"General Petraeus was not paid, was not involved in the creation of the game, and has not been asked to endorse the game. Call of Duty: Black Ops II and its fictional storylines are aimed at providing fun and enjoyment. It is clear to game players that his character and others that are based on real-life figures are fantasy.
Including Gen. Petraeus and other real-life figures was strictly a creative decision made many months ago when the storyline was drafted. We are not commenting further on the latest news or Gen. Petraeus. His service to his country and career accomplishments are a matter of public record."
Call of Duty: Black Ops II was released on Nov. 13 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows and will release for the Wii U on Nov. 18 in North America. It will release on the Wii U on Nov. 30 in Europe, and Dec. 20 in Japan. Check out our round up of reviews for the new game here.
Check out Secretary Petraeus in the video from IGN below. The video contains some minor spoilers....
