Black Ops 7 Ad Banned in the UK

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The British Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned a promotional advertisement for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, deeming it irresponsible and offensive. The ad, which appeared on YouTube and streaming services such as ITV and Channel 5 in anticipation of the game’s November 2025 release, depicted a scene at an airport security checkpoint. The advertisement is part of “The Replacers” campaign, featuring actors Peter Stormare and Nikki Glaser as characters who take over ordinary people’s jobs to allow them time to play the Activision shooter. In the controversial scene, Stormare and Glaser, dressed as authority figures, subject a passenger to an invasive search. When instructed to undress, Stormare places a metal detector in the passenger’s mouth, saying, “Bite down on this, she’s going in dry.” According to the ASA, this combination of humiliation and language alludes to nonconsensual sexual violence and forced penetration, exceeding the bounds of acceptable humor in public advertising. The ASA received nine formal complaints about the advertisement.

Black Ops 7 Ad – Regulator Bans Humorous Rape Implication Ad in UK

Activision Blizzard UK Ltd. stated that Clearcast, a team that reviews TV ads before they air, had pre-approved the ad with a warning to avoid broadcasting it during or near children’s programming or content likely to attract viewers under 16. Activision Blizzard defended the ad, arguing that it depicted a deliberately improbable and satirical situation intended for an adult audience, emphasizing that there was no explicit nudity and that the tone was absurdly comedic. The regulator rejected this justification, concluding that the humor derived directly from an implied threat of rape, trivializing a serious issue. The ban has limited practical impact, as the marketing campaign is nearing its conclusion. However, the advertisement cannot be broadcast again in its current form in the UK.

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