The Advertising Standards Authority has outlawed an Eidos advertising campaign for Kane & Lynch. The body has ordered Eidos not to print or broadcast the ads again, after upholding 26 complaints and calling the promotion 'graphic' and 'shocking'.
One press ad shows a gagged woman, crying and having her head held back by one of the pair. It was printed over a double-page spread in Edge, with a second version appearing in Total Film magazine.
The ASA said: 'The portrayal of violence it contained, with particular regard to the female hostage, was graphic and too shocking to be seen in an untargeted medium.'
Another Kane & Lynch poster held a quote from the Official Xbox 360 Magazine stating, 'Grittier and nastier in tone than anything you've seen before, the violence here is visceral, brutal and very, very real'.
The ASA said this version was 'likely to be seen as condoning and glorifying real violence', and was also irresponsible and 'likely to cause serious or widespread offence'.
The body ruled that both press ads were 'graphic and too shocking to be seen in any medium' and said they breached its code on responsible advertising, decency, violence and antisocial behavior.
‘Shocking’ Eidos ad banned - MCVUK.com
