Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 advert gets daytime ban

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Page last updated at 08:49 GMT, Wednesday, 25 July 2012 09:49 UK

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Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 screenshot

An advert for Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has been banned from being shown on TV during the day.

The advertising watchdog, the ASA, said scenes of violence and destruction were "inappropriate" for young children.

They include buildings exploding and catching fire, armed men firing at a lorry until it crashes and a helicopter firing rockets.

Two viewers complained that the advert should not be on during the day when children would be watching.

One of them said that their children, aged between two and four, were frightened.

The action in the advert, set in New York, London and Paris, is accompanied by a voice-over saying: "The world as you knew it is gone. How far will you go to bring it back?"

'Violence and destruction'

The game broke records on its launch in November with more than 6.5 million copies sold in the UK and the US in its first 24 hours after release.

It has been given an 18 certificate from the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) because of its graphic violence and real world settings.

We considered that the scenes of violence and destruction, together with the sound effects and music, could cause distress to some children who might see the ad

Advertising Standards Authority statement

Activision, the game's publisher, said the ad had been restricted from viewing by children but was screened on Sky Sports 1 at 2.30pm during a Premier League football match.

The company said the advert was not shown before, during or immediately after a children's programme and had been specially edited to remove all violent and threatening content.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said: "We considered that the scenes of violence and destruction, together with the sound effects and music, could cause distress to some children who might see the ad.

"Although we noted that the ad was only shown during the football, we concluded that it was inappropriate for broadcast during the day when young children might be watching and the ex-kids restriction was insufficient."

It ruled that the ad must not be broadcast again before 7.30pm.