Sony pulls Killzone 2 ads in Toronto following complaints [update]

by Xav de Matos { Mar 12th 2009 at 4:00PM }

PlayStation Canada has decided to pull about 300 bus shelter Killzone 2 ads throughout the Greater Toronto Area ahead of schedule following a string of complaints by parents regarding the violent imagery. Davis Mirza, a 4/5 grade teacher, contacted Sony Canada when he noticed one such ad on display at a bus shelter near his Scarborough school.

Mirza told The Toronto Star that ads of such a violent nature do not "help promote any kind of community renewal or even responsibility." Kyle Moffatt, public relations specialist for Sony Computer Entertainment Canada, said the entire bus shelter campaign would be pulled, telling Joystiq the campaign was set to expire soon but the company has decided to "speed up the process."

Moffatt told The Star, PlayStation would establish an off-limits radius around schools for any future, related promotional material. As for the trip to and from school, maybe parents should invest in blindfolds to shield their children from violent images of glowing orange eyes ... we eagerly await Killzone 2 branded innocence protectors.

Update: Kyle Moffatt's position is public relations specialist at Sony Computer Entertainment Canada, not Sony Canada as originally listed.

Tags: advertisement, banned, killzone-2

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

unboring @ Mar 12th 2009 4:04PM

i live in the heart of Toronto and I love this shelter ads, especially because they are on pretty much ever single shelter it seems. I don't understand what she's talking about, they are just a Helghast mask , I havent seen any others anyways, just his glowing eyes thats it. People are to fucking sensitive.

flanker22 @ Mar 12th 2009 4:16PM

sony are always dicks when it comes to marketing, its almost like they do it on purpose to get even more publicity out of it.

so far, racist squirrels, white dominatrix psp, fake blog, violent kz2 ads.

unboring @ Mar 12th 2009 4:18PM

my point was that i see the ads in question everyday, they are in no way violent, they simply show a helghast with 2 glowing eyes. Thats it. This is just hyper-sensitivity. Your a little to quick to judge having not seen the ads in question.

Nomi @ Mar 12th 2009 4:38PM

I hate my people now...

Malascythe @ Mar 12th 2009 4:40PM

Same situation bud. I live in T-Dot too and I really don't see what the matter or difference is between an action movie having guns on the poster, than guns in a videogame...Seriously, I laughed when I saw the article this morning before going to school. Kids in grade 4 and 5 should not be going on the public transit alone...they are too young? And lastly, red-orangish eyes? C'mon they're just eyes, whats the difference between Dr. Manhattan having blue glowing eyes from a Helghast having orange eyes? Colour difference? Maybe red eyes envoke anger from this woman...who knows.

KillaRizzay @ Mar 12th 2009 4:51PM

I too in the GTA and these ads are absolutely everywhere..including Ajax and I just love them. I dont understand the problem, all it is a face with red eyes. Sony should tell this b*tch to STFU and get a life/job. As someone else said, how are these eyes any more offending than any action/scary movie poster?? I dont get it. *sigh* well i was taking my sweet time to swipe one of these posters (that 5ft by 3 ft poster would look sick in my room) but since they're ending the campaign early, looks like ill have to spring into action this weekend!!

mynk @ Mar 12th 2009 5:16PM

yeah, same here i live in mississauga (greater toronto area) and these ads are on all the major shelters on my way to school. they are never offensive, its just a mask and the game name under. infact, it strikes good conversation with other gamers in the shelter while waiting for the bus.

all the other ads that ever go on there either show ads glamour girls that promote an image of women that girls cant keep up with or this half baked ideas ad with a person sticking his head into a toilet.... all those are way more offensive than killzone 2, they never get taken off. wtf.

MBO @ Mar 12th 2009 5:43PM

i live in vancouver and we have the same ad just 2 blocks from my high school where the school does outdoors pe. its FUCKING cool seeing awesome ads in Vancouver. hopefully this doesnt affect us. another reason why vancouver IS THE BESSSST.

the Sawyer family @ Mar 12th 2009 5:55PM

flanker22 is a little sissy boy who cries to mama when he sees something scary.

BOO!!!

Lars @ Mar 12th 2009 5:56PM

Wow. Just the Helghast mask? Seriously? Is there even a gun in the ad poster? Someone upload a pic of them, please.

If she's just a normal soccer mom I don't see how she could even know the game is violent based on that imagery!

Also: "...a 4/5 grade teacher"
LOL, must be a Canadian thing, I had no idea there was a four-fifths grade! ;)

SimbaDogg @ Mar 12th 2009 6:00PM

man does ANYONE have any pictures of the ads...i've search google, and even google images, and can't find a thing. its funny that a newspaper would run a story about this, and not even show the ad itself. i swear, everyone online blog/news/videogame blog that is talking about this links back to either the star, or another blog..which then links back to the star...

damnit

unboring @ Mar 12th 2009 6:07PM

Its an image just like this http://www.gamesetwatch.com/ptom-0902.jpg without any of the text that says KILLZONE 2 rated 5 out of 5 by so and so thats it.

and Lars, 4/5 grade teacher means 4th and 5th grade teacher. She may teach 2 classes, she may teach a split class (what they do if the school has 3 1/2 4th grade classes and 3 1/2 5th grade classes) you might not have heard the expression before but im pretty sure this type of thing is universal in all countries. There is a limit in our education system to the amount of students per class so depending on the numbers they can apply for an exception to squeeze a few more into another 4th grade class, or if its to many they create a fuzed split 4/5 class. I remember i was in a 2/3 class when I was younger. Hope that helps with your confusion.

Dehshizknight @ Mar 12th 2009 7:14PM

@unboring

I'm pretty sure he was joking.

Nook @ Mar 12th 2009 7:34PM

just saw on the bus shelter ads here in mississauga a few minutes ago on the way home. i thought 'cool'. did not see any reason to be up in arms over.

XGM @ Mar 12th 2009 7:42PM

You say that, and look at us here in Ottawa. I've been hearing the news and essentially a atheist group wants to place ads on the busses and got upset when the city refused since these are discouraging christianity. And of course the city decided to let it pass before legal action took place, because we didn't have anything in our chart of rights and liberties to stop them from doing it... Not only are people too sensitive and need to grow balls, they also need to use that brain they have...

Flakundenga @ Mar 15th 2009 12:44AM

Yeah I don't see the problem either. It's just the coverart which in my point-of-view is non-violent. I do, however, think it's unnecessary that they have the same add in about every single shelter on one street but that's Sony's money not mine. It is amusing how the ads appear near schools - clever marketing really

el serpiente @ Mar 12th 2009 4:06PM

POP THAT TOP!!!!

Cyril @ Mar 12th 2009 4:29PM

you're clean'in that one up

Insight @ Mar 12th 2009 6:27PM

Ooh, that's gotta hurt

BxGT @ Mar 12th 2009 4:06PM

Want to know how my nephew discovered sex, a huge ad on the bus that said sex in the city.If that was ok then why isn't this?

Kodros @ Mar 12th 2009 5:20PM

The "Sex in the City" ad is ok because once you see the cast of that show, you're completely turned off from wanting to have sex with women.

tmacairjordan87 @ Mar 12th 2009 4:07PM

When did the world lose its balls and become full of overly-sensitive pussies? My childhood was in the late 80s and 90s, not that long ago obviously, but I already feel like those older dudes that always say "back in my day my daddy would have called me a little girl and kicked my ass back outside if I came in crying over a scraped knee".

Managua_Green @ Mar 12th 2009 4:17PM

Its Canada, remember....

s256 @ Mar 12th 2009 4:31PM

Canada has a lot of overzealous conservatives for some reason.

Scooter @ Mar 12th 2009 4:44PM

Conservatives in Toronto? You miss typed Liberal I think.

Scooter @ Mar 12th 2009 4:45PM

Arg, mistyped.

Dr Jeckyl and Mr ESC. @ Mar 12th 2009 4:55PM

What the hell you are talking about? There are still parents that bust the lip open of their kids for no reason. Bad parenting still exist same as organizations that blame everything on violence and videogames. Don't you remember how people complained about video games in early 90's? Primal Rage was heavily censored and it was a friggin 2D game.

There are also those who complain heavily about censorship like pussies. Remember how some people said Happy Holidays? How many doucheb*gs didn’t complained about that.

The only thing that changed is that people now have less money and everybody talks like if the had tourette's syndrome.

KillaRizzay @ Mar 12th 2009 4:59PM

lol your witty remark is now null-and-void scooter. And yes he meant conservative...does this sound like the actions of any other?? A mother...calling a major corporation because thier child saw big red eyes... thats a conservative.

On a side note my fellow Canadians, what are your thoughts on this whole Crysler thing..you know, the inferior car manufactures who want us to give them 2 point something BILLION U.S or else they'll pack up leave Canada..I hope they get the f*ck out our country and never come back with their shotty 'vehicles',

Dr Jeckyl and Mr ESC. @ Mar 12th 2009 5:10PM

Well considering that in some countries the Canadian dollar is stronger than the American dollar and a billion isn't what it used to be well gee I don't know bill if they close plants a lot of people are going to lose their jobs.

Canada industry is very solid for what I've seen so I think you could take it without a problem but then again I heavily ignore if that's convinient.

If they get the money they better create new plants when the hard times are over.That should be part of the agreement.

Not Candian but I have been there.

Scooter @ Mar 12th 2009 5:19PM

There was zero appeal to classical sources of morality that generally outline a conservative objection to media. There was however, a "everybody is a winner" style of sheltering. Also, its the Toronto Star, the most liberal major paper in Canada.

GenBanks @ Mar 12th 2009 5:33PM

If there are any doubts that Canadians can be over the top sensational and conservative, I need only point to this video mentioned a few days ago on joystiq:
http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/2008-2009/top_gun/video.html

(here's the Joystiq post: http://www.joystiq.com/2009/03/08/sensationalized-top-gun-report-blames-pro-gaming-for-death-of/)

¬_¬

Dr Jeckyl and Mr ESC. @ Mar 12th 2009 5:49PM

GenBanks: Fallout Tree ...not as fun as Tour of duty.

Poor kid he was frozen to a crisp.

GenBanks @ Mar 12th 2009 5:56PM

:(

Although my blood still boils thinking how they blamed that kid's death on video games in that episode.

ill trooper @ Mar 12th 2009 6:17PM

Yeah, the mighty 80s and 90s, where every time G.I Joe blew up a helicopter, the Cobra guy would be seen popping a parachute and heading for a safe landing.

Nowadays, there are beheadings on the internet. The 'world' open to kids has only gotten gnarlier.

This game isn't for everyone, it's focus is on violent war, and like cigarettes and alcohol, it doesn't need to be advertised in elementary school areas.

Kids hear about it anyway, we all know.

Quattro @ Mar 12th 2009 6:18PM

The Canadian dollar is stronger than the US dollar in some countries? That doesn't make any sense.

princeofshapeir @ Mar 12th 2009 4:08PM

Gun violence has exploded in Toronto over the last 2-3 years, which is probably why they are pulling this ad campaign.

rohan @ Mar 12th 2009 4:11PM

there is no gun shown in the ad, by looking at the ad u have no idea what kind of game it is? for all they know it could be mario's lost long brother

unboring @ Mar 12th 2009 4:26PM

its still a small fraction of the gun related deaths annually in Chicago, they are like over 500 every year I believe and the two citys have roughly the same population! Per capita I don't think Toronto is as violent as any major american city.

unboring @ Mar 12th 2009 4:52PM

i just checked actually, chicago's population is 2.2million , toronto's is 2.5 million, 5.5 million in the GTA. The murders in 2008 were 77 and in Chicago it was close to 500. So yeah he have seen an increase in Gun violence, but overall Toronto is a relatively safe city by comparison. Most of the gun violence is gang related anyways and in the west end at Jane and Finch and out east in Scarborough. So yeah, dont live there, and don't join a gang.

Dr Jeckyl and Mr ESC. @ Mar 12th 2009 4:58PM

Well at least there is war because war...War never changes.

Dr Jeckyl and Mr ESC. @ Mar 12th 2009 4:59PM

F*ck I replied to the wrong post.

advil @ Mar 12th 2009 4:08PM

that's just sad and unfortunate... for Sony

rohan @ Mar 12th 2009 4:09PM

i have seen the bus shelter ads, a helghast looking at u with killzone 2 written below it as well as 5 out of 5, and i think lighting in the BG, i guess numbers scare the kids. What Sony should do it take out 2 and 5, then it will be fine.

Night Elve @ Mar 12th 2009 5:05PM

Good one!

B @ Mar 12th 2009 5:11PM

That's a bit ridiculous. This is exactly what happened to the Fallout 3 ads, instead of the ad being what we expect it to be (i.e. nukes, apocalypse, explosions) it's just a closeup of the characters face (can't remember the name of the guy in armor on the f3 cover).

Might as well be offended that the bus shelter is painted blue.