Overview
- The Advertising Standards Authority ruled the commercial must not appear again in its current form in the UK after investigating 11 complaints.
- Nine complainants alleged the ad trivialised sexual violence, while two raised drug‑use concerns that the ASA did not uphold.
- The spot shows ‘replacers’ at airport security telling a passenger he was “randomly selected to be manhandled,” quipping “time for the puppet show,” and ending with “Bite down on this, she’s going in dry.”
- Activision Blizzard argued the ad targeted adults for an 18‑rated game, depicted an implausible parody, and was pre‑cleared by Clearcast with an ‘ex‑kids’ timing restriction.
- The ASA concluded the humour relied on humiliation and an implied threat of non‑consensual penetration, instructed Activision to ensure future ads are socially responsible, and noted the clip remains viewable on YouTube despite the UK broadcast ban in its current edit.