Kane & Lynch 2 too violent for telly

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 12 August, 2010

Cut-down TV spot inside.

Publisher Square Enix stripped down a Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days advertisement after regulators deemed it too violent for telly.

The original submission from Square Enix contained footage that is now included in the Kane & Lynch 2 launch trailer, which runs at just under a minute-and-a-half.

There's a little bit of swearing, loads of death, and blood on the camera.

The approved TV spot is only 10 seconds long and mentions specialist retailer GAME.

The schizophrenic Lynch laughs at the end.

You can see the TV spot, due to go out tomorrow, below.

Square Enix said the ad went through "much editing and many submissions" before being approved.

"This trailer is definitely not for the fainthearted and has been classified as too violent for TV when it came to using the footage as part of our TV ads," reads a press release.

Square Enix UK marketing director Jon Brooke added: "We've worked very closely with the UK TV advertising regulatory body to ensure our TV ad is suitable for broadcast after 9pm.

"After much editing and many submissions we now have a 10 second version which begins airing tomorrow - we hope you enjoy it."

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is the UK regulator of advertising across all media, including videogames.

Kane & Lynch 2 is due out on the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on 20th August. Kristan Reed went hands-on for Eurogamer last month.

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (26) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Shikasama #1 2 years ago

    THAT. ADVERT. IS. SHIT.

    But imagine it in like, big pink letters

  • geeza2020 #2 2 years ago

    "Look our game is soo violent, we had to make an edited trailer!!!"

    This means that the game itself is so awful that they are trying to sell it on the back of some kind of crap controversy.

  • tachometer #3 2 years ago

    Down with this sort of thing!
    Edited by tachometer at 12/08/10 @ 15:26

  • Eraysor #4 2 years ago

    I'm not interested in this game at all. Why they chose to make a sequel to the first one is beyond me, unless they simply wanted to be lazy.

  • NunianVonFuch #5 2 years ago

    I don't get why ads like that are banned. Films and TV shows that are on at this time are allowed show a lot worse so what's the problem? :-S

  • Mark1412 #6 2 years ago

    Windows Movie Maker, still going strong.

  • Mkwone #7 2 years ago

    Doesn't make me want to run out and buy the game.

  • captain_Carl #8 2 years ago

    This is a joke, right?

  • dr_shambles #9 2 years ago

    I seem to remember the print ads for the first instalment of Kane and Lynch having a particularly nasty streak of misogyny and getting heavily criticised by the ASA.

    Appears they're taking the same 'ooooh so controversial' approach with the sequel.

    Can't see gaming maturing as a medium with crap like this.

  • SpaceMonkey77 #10 2 years ago

    It is indeed complete double standard bs.

    Funny how trailers for films always get a pass, but games continue to get the kick to nuts.

    Square have never been great with their ads, unless its another epic like FF. I get the impression they don't really know how to sell more mature complicated works like Kane and Lynch 2.

    I'm gonna check it out. Tried the demo and it felt like a vast improvement over its debut cut.

  • EthanWoods #11 2 years ago

    Why is the sequel to a poorly received game coming out before Hitman 5?

    Why IO?

    WHY?!

  • nuanimal #12 2 years ago

    Hahahahahaha. After reading the article, and then bracing myself to watch what I thought was going to be a near-the-knuckle controversial advert... all I see is big pink letters on balck background.

    With no explosions, guns or err... well... anything. The Mafia II advert before the vid was way more exciting.

  • bloodflowers #13 2 years ago

    All this drama for a game with built in censorship mosaics. Uhhhhh......

    I actually have this on pre-order because I really liked the first one despite the rough edges. The mosaic censor bothers me though, it looks ugly and I can't see the point in an 18 rated game. Maybe it's supposed to give the gamer a sense of being too horrible to show - leaving it to the imagination, but honestly all it did for me was ring the censorship alarm bells and make me feel like something was being withheld.

  • Trigga_Tybalt #14 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 15:43:01 23-02-2012

  • kangarootoo #15 2 years ago

    I am never interested in a game that sells itself on violence. Not even remotely.

    I certainly don't object to violence in games, but the very idea that the violence might in itself make me want to buy a game just doesn't connect with me at all. Some of the most violent games I've ever played have also been the least entertaining because their core systems (you know, the gameplay) were total shite.

    Not saying this game will be shite, but a violent trailer does nothing to convince me either way.

  • Skurmedel #16 2 years ago

    I preordered it long before this trailer so couldn't care less, but I think the censorship mosaic is in the game to make it feel more like it was a documentary or something, at least that is my guess. I don't think IO would have any problems showing the stuff you do in the game, after all, some of the stuff you can do in Hitman is quite disturbing (remember the meat hook from the early games?)

  • kangarootoo #17 2 years ago

    So I watched the trailer. Its a good trailer, and really not that violent. I don't know what the rules are for TV ads for games, but I'd be surprised if any part of that couldn't be shown after the water shed. Besides, the trailer by itself would make a rubbish TV ad, too long and no music, people would think they had chosen the wrong channel.

  • Ryze #18 2 years ago

    Advert about advert.

  • Skurmedel #19 2 years ago

    Maybe they had the killing of a baby with a pizza slicer or something in the original cut... maybe a chinese dude getting a hair cut was too much for television.

  • XdarXideX #20 2 years ago

    I'm glad the naysayers found their way around the keyboard so they could tell us how shit the game they haven't played is. Can I be told how bad Halo Reach is NOW so I can be completely sure you're a bunch of cocks?

  • Spekingur #21 2 years ago

    Demo of this game is up on Steam. It actually plays okay and I am rather digging the style of it - which is diffirent from the first one.

  • Lunatic4ever #22 2 years ago

    the fact that they use pink letters is incredibly stylish.
    they definetely go amd with colors on this one and still keep it gritty and dark as hell.
    thats a piece of art we got here.

  • Nephirion #23 2 years ago

    I wonder if developers sign a contract to produce at least 1 game and a sequel for a new IP. If that is the case they are just meeting the obligations of that contract.

  • UncleLou #24 2 years ago

    I'm not interested in this game at all. Why they chose to make a sequel to the first one is beyond me

    Maybe because you're not everyone? The first one seems to have a bad reputation based on a) the Gamespot incident, b) shoddy console versions.

    PC version of K&L was very good.

  • MuppetThumper #25 2 years ago

    I hated the first for many reasons but mostly because every time you ydied as the screen blacked out lynch would say:

    "Kane you fucking idiot, we need you now"

    Honestly wanted to punch the designer who came up with that one after hearing orgies the umpteenth time, especially given I wasn't responsible for the shocking controls!

  • MaybeLater #26 2 years ago

    The first game and demo for the new one were both so bad I can't help feeling like I'm missing something.

    Also I find their use of mental illness as a devise quite reprehensible.
    Edited by MaybeLater at 13/08/10 @ 13:18