Did Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Predict the US-China Trade War?:

In a strange turn of events, a decade-old video game surprisingly seems to replicate the current state of world geopolitics. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, released in 2012, contains plotlines that now resemble the ongoing narrative of antagonism between the US and China.

The story of the game includes a part set in 2025 and revolves around cyber warfare, drone technologies, and international conflicts; all of which are extremely relevant today. These parallels have already been noted by political analysts and social media users.

Critical Incidents in the Game are Similar to the Actual 2025

One of the villains in the game, Raul Menendez, also happens to be a genius of war strategy who brings China to its knees by executing a colossal stock market crash it. Additionally, this fictional disaster spirals out of control due to retaliatory actions from China in the form of exporting restrictions on rare earth elements, critical resources needed for weapons, electronics, and electric vehicles.

Black ops 2. pic.twitter.com/4YHySI620s
— mrredpillz jokaqarmy (@JOKAQARMY1) April 9, 2025

In reality, the US and China are embroiled in an ongoing trade war, initiated during the Trump era. Now in the second year of his second term, this renewed conflict consists of tariffs, economic sanctions, and curtailing the export of rare earth elements. Resources that China essentially dominates the global supply of, controlling nearly 90% of them.

Rare Earth Elements: From Game Storyline to Real Geopolitics

In the game, China's choice to use rare earth exports as a weapon greatly increases conflict worldwide. In practice, a move like that from Beijing has heightened worries about the security of supply chains and the risk of technological servitude.

Rare earths are critical in the modern age for the manufacture of military hardware, electric vehicles, and their accompanying components like semiconductors. Such adverse restrictions have as far-reaching impacts in real markets and economies, drawing parallels towards the fictitious world created by Call of Duty developers over a decade ago.

Digital Warfare and Economic Tensions

Apart from evolving gaming genres, players are also presented with nations vying for control of digital resources. This has a real life counterpart in disputes over 5G systems, semiconductor manufacturing, and cybersecurity. These factors enhance the connection between the narrative of the gaming world – which seems outlandish but is feasible given modern geopolitics.