On first glance, the biggest sin of the above viral video for Modern Warfare 2 is that it isn't really funny. But consider how the California governor has made coded messages fashionable by flipping the state assembly the bird in a letter whose first lines spell out something I won't write here (it begins with an "F" and ends with a "you"). Enter Modern Warfare 2 developer Infinity Ward, who seems to think it's funny to proclaim something about "fags" at the end of that video. But it's not clear what they're saying. Are they using that term to insult people who rely on grenades? Are they showing their solidarity with gay players? Are they hoping to join some sort of coded pile-on against the California state assembly? Or are they just like a bunch of children giggling because they said a bad word?

Whatever their motivation, they got called out for it over the weekend. So community manager Robert Bowling used his Tweet account to point out that he thinks calling out "fags" is too far from the core joke.

I agree. I think the core gag is great, the end is a bit too far from the intent of the joke & can appreciate the concerns. Pulled.

Not "inappropriate", not "tasteless", not "offensive". Not even "an error". Just "too far from the intent of the joke". As if slapping some sort of coded reference to fags would be fine so long as it was on a viral video that was already making a joke about gays. Bowling might as well have taken a cue from the California governor's office and just played coy.

Of course, pulling a viral video is like closing the doors of a barn once the horses have all left.