The complete ASA ruling can be found here, but in other words the authority has decreed that Playrixs advertisements are misguiding despite Playrixs inclusion of a disclaimer that “Not all images represent actual gameplay.” The angering advertisements can no longer run (in the UK at least) and Playrix has actually been informed to “ensure” their future advertisements actually represent the gameplay of the titles theyre linked to.
Only, as the advertisement regulator points out, the gameplay apparently included in those advertisements is nothing near whats actually found in the bulk of the match-3 video games theyre advertising.
” Playrix thought customers would take from the advertisements that the video games included the material seen, as well as comparable material including similar characters,” reads the ASAs retelling of Playrixs action. They believed that the ad appealed to the logic and problem-solving abilities required to win throughout the games.
In action to ASAs examination, Playrix argued that the puzzles shared thematic similarities with the gameplay and narrative gamers could anticipate in the actual video games.
The studio also makes the argument that the minigames do actually appear in Homescapes, albeit only 10 times in total and typically a methods into the video games development so early players may not see them.
Previous judgments have targeted games like Gran Turismo Sport for misrepresenting offline material or Grand Theft Auto V for misleading Steam Sale advertisements a couple of years back, though the list continues.
The Advertising Standards Authority frequently weighs in what does and does not fly for video game ads in the UK, indicating its important for fellow video game developers to stay up to date with the authoritys choices in order to ensure their own ads do not wind up on the chopping block.
The grievance itself uprised of 2 particular Facebook ads, one for Homescapes and one for Gardenscapes, that followed that pin-pulling format and aimed to lure would-be gamers with expressions like “only 5 percent can fix this!” and “Think you can do much better?”, among others.
The Playrix advertisements in the ASAs crosshairs this time around may be familiar to anybody that regularly dabbles in mobile free-to-play games or scrolls through social media: each illustrates a puzzle that needs gamers to slide a range of pins in a certain order to conserve a cartoonish character from specific doom.
” Playrix believed consumers would take from the advertisements that the video games included the content seen, as well as similar content involving comparable characters,” reads the ASAs retelling of Playrixs response. “Also that the video games would have the very same style and mechanics, along with comparable gameplay. They believed that the advertisement appealed to the logic and problem-solving abilities needed to win during the video games.
The UK advertisement authority has put the kibosh on a particular format of advertisements used by Playrix for its video games Homescapes and Gardenscapes, arguing that some regular advertising misrepresents the gameplay of each title.
