Xbox 360 ad pulled by UK regulator

A UK ad for the Xbox 360 featuring street racing stunts has been pulled from TV after the Advertising Standards Authority ruled that it glamorised street racing and could encourage young men to drive dangerously.

The ad starts with a man wearing a balaclava being chased across a rooftop by two other men, before jumping off the roof, and then into a car with a group of others and speeding off. There was then a car chase through a busy city centre, culminating in the car rolling over, after which the driver got out and swapped his balaclava with the other man's police badge, with the slogan, "Jump in. Xbox 360." Text at the bottom of the screen throughout the ad showed printed warnings including, "Dramatisation. Professional stunt. Do not attempt."

Microsoft UK Ltd argued that it had deliberately placed text on the advert to explain that stunts had been performed by professionals in controlled environments and that viewers should not attempt any of the stunts themselves.

However, the ASA upheld the complaint, by saying that the ad "glamorised" street car racing and could be seen to condone dangerous driving, and ordered the ad not to be shown again.