DUBAI – Kuwait, a small Middle Eastern country, has banned the release of the video game “Call of Duty: Black Ops 6,” which features the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and takes place partly in the Gulf War of 1990s.

Kuwait has not publicly acknowledged the ban on the game, which is a flagship product from Microsoft-owned developer Activision and is set to launch globally on Friday. However, this comes as Kuwait still grapples with the aftermath of the invasion and video game creators more broadly address historical and cultural issues in their work.

The video game, a first-person shooter, follows CIA agents sometimes fighting in the United States but also in the Middle East. Trailers of the game show burning oil fields, a painful reminder for Kuwaitis who saw the Iraqis set fire to the fields, causing enormous ecological and economic damage. Iraqi troops damaged or burned more than 700 wells.

There are also images of Saddam and Iraq’s old three-star flag in images released by the developers ahead of the game’s launch. The game’s multiplayer section, a popular feature of the series, includes what appears to be a shootout in the Kuwaiti desert called Scud in homage to the Soviet missiles fired by Saddam during the war. Another is called Babylon, after the ancient city in Iraq.

Activision acknowledged in a statement that the game “has not been approved for release in Kuwait”, but did not provide details.

“All pre-orders in Kuwait will be canceled and refunded to the original point of purchase,” the company said. “We remain hopeful that local authorities will reconsider their decision and allow players in Kuwait to enjoy this all-new experience in the Black Ops series.”

Kuwait’s Media Ministry did not respond to requests from The Associated Press for comment on the decision.

“Call of Duty,” which began in 2003 as a first-person shooter set during World War II, grew into a billion-dollar empire, now owned by Microsoft. But it was also controversial because its gameplay entered the realm of geopolitics. Both China and Russia have banned chapters of the franchise. In 2009, an entry in the gaming franchise allowed players to take part in a militant attack at a Russian airport, killing civilians.

But there have been other games recently that have received praise for their handling of the Middle East. Ubisoft’s “Assassin’s Creed: Mirage” released last year was praised for its portrayal of Baghdad during the Islamic Golden Age in the 9th century.