'Menacing' Call of Duty TV ad gunned down by watchdog

The TV launch campaign for the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 video game has been gunned down after the the ad watchdog ruled that its “aggressive” and “menacing” tone trivialised sexual violence.

The ads, which appeared on YouTube and video-on-demand services in November 2025, featured the recurring “Replacer” characters – including comedian Nikki Glaser and actor Peter Stormare – taking over the roles of airport security guards so the original staff could play the 18-rated video game.

The sequence depicted a male passenger being told he had been “randomly selected to be manhandled” before being ordered to strip to his shoes. The female officer, played by Glaser, was shown donning gloves and announcing “time for the puppet show”, while a post-credit scene featured a metal detector being forced into the man’s mouth with the instruction: “Bite down on this, she’s going in dry”.

However, a number of viewers rifled off complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority; nine people believed that the ad trivialised sexual violence, and challenged whether it was irresponsible and offensive; two people who believed that the ad encouraged or condoned drug use, challenged whether the ad was irresponsible.

In its defence, game publisher Activision Blizzard UK defended the campaign, arguing that the scenario was “deliberately implausible” and a parody of over-officious security procedures.

The gaming giant claimed the “bite down” line referred to physical discomfort rather than sexual penetration and noted that the ads were targeted strictly at adult audiences with a “higher tolerance for irreverent humour”.

Broadcasters, including ITV and Channel 5, backed the advertiser, stating the ads had been cleared by Clearcast with “ex-kids” restrictions. They argued the “Replacer” trope was a well-established comedic device intended to be seen as farcical.

However, the ASA was having none of it and dismissed these arguments, concluding that the references to “going in dry” and “manhandling” clearly alluded to non-consensual penetration and the anticipation of pain.

Its ruling stated: “While we acknowledged the ad was intended to be humorous, the theme of a non-consensual, invasive physical search was presented in a way that was likely to cause serious offence.

The watchdog added that the “menacing” tone of the officers meant the ad overstepped the boundaries of responsible advertising, regardless of its intended comedic framing.

Even so, Activision Blizzard did manage to fight off the complaints that the ad condoned drug use, after the spot depicted the female officer picking up the man’s prescription medication container. As she held the medication bottle up to the other officer, she smiled widely and licked her teeth, to which he responded with a wink.

The ASA ruled this was likely to be seen as a reference to the overall theme of the security officers’ lack of professionalism, rather than implying any improper use of medication.

Nevertheless, the watchdog still banned the ad and warned the company to ensure future activity was socially responsible and did not cause serious offence, for example, by trivialising sexual violence.