The UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned a commercial for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 for trivialising sexual violence.
Details of the Advert
- The commercial depicted a fake airport security check, with real officers “too busy playing the game.”
- A man was told to strip down to “everything but the shoes” while a female officer put on gloves, saying “time for the puppet show.”
- The ad aired on YouTube and video-on-demand services, including ITV and Channel 5, in November 2025.
- Nine viewers complained that the ad was offensive and trivialised sexual violence.
Activision Blizzard’s Response
- The company said the ad targeted adult audiences (18+) and was approved by Clearcast with an “ex-kids” timing restriction.
- They argued the scenario was implausible and parodic, not sexualised, and humour came from discomfort rather than sex.
ASA Ruling
- The ASA noted the humour was derived from humiliation and the implied threat of non-consensual penetration, even though no explicit imagery appeared.
- The watchdog concluded that the advert trivialised sexual violence and was irresponsible and offensive.
- The ad must not be shown again in its current form.
- Another complaint about drug use was not upheld.
Context
- The Call of Duty franchise has faced prior ASA scrutiny:
- In 2012, an advert for Modern Warfare 3 was banned for showing armed men firing at a lorry, deemed inappropriate for children.
This decision reflects increasing regulatory scrutiny of video game advertising, particularly around content that could be seen as normalising or trivialising violence or abuse.