A fresh controversy has hit the gaming world after a promotional clip tied to one of the biggest shooter franchises, COD, was pulled in the United Kingdom. Regulators stepped in following viewer complaints, stating that the commercial crossed a line. While the ad was intended to be humorous, officials concluded that the joke did not land as the creators had planned.
Why the CoD: Black Ops 7 ad was banned in the UK
The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority has pulled the “Airport Security” commercial for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, which was part of the franchise’s ongoing Replacer campaign. Regulators said the joke relied on humor that could be seen as making light of “sexual violence,” labeling the tone careless and potentially offensive. The ad first debuted on YouTube in November 2025 before later airing on ITV and Channel 5.
In its ruling, the authority noted that nine viewers formally complained about the airport-themed skit. The commercial presents the idea that airport workers have been swapped out because they are too busy gaming. However, the tone shifts when a passenger is told he has been “randomly selected to be manhandled” and is ordered to face the wall. The situation escalates when another officer says, “Time for the puppet show!” In another moment, the male officer presses a handheld metal detector against the man’s mouth and tells him to “bite down” on it.
The authority acknowledged that the commercial was exaggerated and intended to be humorous. However, regulators said the joke leaned heavily on “humiliation and the implied threat of painful, non-consensual penetration,” which crossed the line and violated UK advertising rules. As a result, the advertisement cannot air in the UK in its current form.
Activision Blizzard responded by stating that the campaign was aimed strictly at adults and maintained that the “bite down” line referred to discomfort, not anything sexual. The company also emphasized that the airport staff were portrayed as intentionally exaggerated caricatures, arguing that the primary joke centered on their incompetence rather than the situation itself. ( via Dexerto).
