The UK's Advertising Standards Authority has banned a promotional advert for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 after determining it trivialized sexual violence. The ad, featuring a parodic airport security scenario, drew complaints for its humorous depiction of non-consensual acts. Activision argued the content was intended as absurd humor for adults, but the regulator upheld the objections.
In November 2025, Activision released a live-action advertisement for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 on YouTube and video-on-demand channels in the UK. The spot continued the franchise's "Replacers" series, where stand-ins allow people to play the game. In this ad, actors Peter Stormare and Nikki Glaser portrayed security officers at an airport checkpoint, replacing actual staff who were playing the game.
The scenario showed a male passenger passing through a metal detector. One officer declared, "You've been randomly selected to be manhandled – face the wall!" The female officer licked her teeth while shaking a prescription container, eliciting a wink from her colleague. The passenger was instructed to remove all clothing except his shoes. The woman donned gloves and said, "Time for the puppet show!" In a post-credits scene, a handheld metal detector was placed in the man's mouth with the line, "Bite down on this, she's going in dry."
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received 11 complaints, with nine alleging the ad trivialized sexual violence and was irresponsible and offensive. Two complaints addressed potential encouragement of drug use. Activision informed the ASA that the ad had been pre-approved by Clearcast with an "ex-kids" restriction, barring it from children's programming. The publisher described the content as a "deliberately implausible, parodic scenario" unrelated to real procedures, targeting adult audiences tolerant of exaggerated humor. It maintained the ad did not sexualize searches or imply sexual acts, nor depict illegal drug use.
On February 18, 2026, the ASA ruled that, despite the ad's humorous intent and lack of explicit imagery, the comedy arose from "the humiliation and implied threat of painful, non-consensual penetration," an act linked to sexual violence. The officers' joking demeanor framed this as entertaining, leading the regulator to conclude the ad trivialized sexual violence and was irresponsible. The drug-related complaints were not upheld, as the ad was unlikely to condone misuse.
As a result, the ASA prohibited the ad from airing again in its current form and directed Activision to ensure future advertisements are socially responsible and avoid serious offense, such as by trivializing sexual violence. The video remains available on the official Call of Duty YouTube channel.
