UK Bans Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Ad Over Sexual Violence Depiction
▼ Summary
– The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned a Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 commercial for trivializing sexual violence.
– The ad depicted fake airport staff, with a female officer making suggestive gestures and a male passenger being told to strip with the phrase “she’s going in dry.”
– The ASA upheld complaints that the advertisement generated by the humiliation and implied threat of non-consensual penetration trivialized sexual violence.
– Activision Blizzard defended the ad as a parodic, implausible scenario with a comedic tone, but the ASA ruled it must not run again in its current form.
– The ASA dismissed separate complaints that the ad encouraged drug use, finding it was unlikely to be understood that way.
The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority has taken decisive action against a recent video game promotion, banning a commercial for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 after ruling it made light of sexual violence. This decision underscores the regulatory body’s commitment to upholding social responsibility in advertising, even for content aimed at mature audiences. The move follows several public complaints and a detailed review of the advertisement’s content and context.
The controversial advertisement appeared on Video on Demand services and YouTube. It presented a scenario where genuine airport security staff were absent because they were “off playing the new Call of Duty: Black Ops 7,” leaving their duties to untrained stand-ins. During a security check, a male passenger is informed he has been “randomly selected to be manhandled.” The scene then shows a female security officer licking her teeth while picking up and shaking a prescription container, sharing a knowing wink with a male colleague. The passenger is instructed to strip, accompanied by the advisory, “she’s going in dry.”
The ASA reviewed nine complaints which argued the ad trivialized sexual violence, creating a narrative built on humiliation and the implied threat of a painful, non-consensual act. The complainants felt the content crossed a line, regardless of the intended humor.
In its defense, Activision Blizzard pointed to several factors. They noted the game carries an 18+ age rating and that the advertisement was strategically placed on an “ex-kids” schedule to minimize exposure to younger viewers. The publisher maintained the spot portrayed a “deliberately implausible, parodic scenario” that bore no resemblance to actual security procedures and was executed with a “comedic tone rather than harm or abuse.”
Despite these arguments, the ASA sided with the complainants. The authority determined the ad’s content was irresponsible and likely to cause serious offense by making light of a serious subject. They issued a formal ban, preventing the advertisement from airing again in its current form. In their ruling, they instructed Activision Blizzard to ensure future marketing is socially responsible and avoids causing serious offense, specifically by not trivializing matters like sexual violence.
Separately, the ASA dismissed two complaints that suggested the advertisement encouraged drug use. The authority concluded that the brief reference to a prescription container was unlikely to be interpreted as condoning or promoting substance abuse, and therefore was not irresponsible on that specific point. The focus of the ban remains squarely on the depiction of sexual violence.
(Source: Games Industry)
