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UK Watchdog Bans Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Ad for Trivialising Sexual Violence

The ASA said the ad’s humor hinged on implied non‑consensual penetration, trivialising sexual violence.

Overview

  • The regulator ruled the spot breached CAP Code rules 1.3 (social responsibility) and 4.1 (harm/offence), ordering it not to reappear in its current form.
  • The ASA logged nine complaints about trivialising sexual violence, while two alleging it encouraged drug use were not upheld.
  • Activision argued the campaign targeted adults for an 18‑rated game with irreverent humor, citing Clearcast’s prior approval with an ex‑kids restriction.
  • The ad ran on YouTube plus on‑demand services for Channel 5 and ITV, and it remained viewable on YouTube at the time of reporting.
  • The airport‑security parody included lines such as “randomly selected to be manhandled,” “time for the puppet show,” and “going in dry,” which the ASA said turned humiliation into the joke.