homescapes and gardenscapes ads banned as misleading

For example, their said only around 45% of players achieved the level 20, and around 18% achieved the level 100.Īccording to the ruling of ASA, the ads must not appear again in the form complained of. Playrix also said most users finished their journey near the start of the game, before they get to play the mini-game. For Homescapes, it said that percentage was around 0.03% of users. It has claimed to since change the games so that the problem-solving gameplay as shown in the ads was available towards the beginning of the Homescapes and Gardenscapes games.Īlthough the advertised gameplay is available as 'mini-games', Playrix admitted only a very small percentage of its players reached those levels. It added that at that time the mini-games were usually available once every 20 levels. Playrix also said the gameplay shown in the advertisements were 'mini-games' that are available to play, but on more distant levels. In April 2020, Playrix said there were around 10 such mini-games in Homescapes. Playrix said the latter was the only tool to move on in the storyline and was not the core gameplay, adding that a player’s goal was to follow the storyline and restore and decorate their house or garden though different mechanics. It said the games contained a number of elements: an unfolding storyline which involved the renovation of a house or a garden, 'mini-games' as featured in the advertisements, and 'match-three' style games. In response, Playrix said their games were far more complex than 'match-three' type games. Upon download, users will realise that the advertised gameplay is not as common in the actual game, and that the actual game is fundamentally based on a 'match-three' style game.

The advertisements for the games, developed by Playrix, included videos of problem-solving scenarios where users decide which pins to pull first to achieve the game objective. According to the authority, it had received seven complaints about the paid-for advertisements for these two games, of which the people who complained believed the advertisements’ content is misleading and not representative of the actual Homescapes or Gardenscapes games.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in the UK has banned the two ads for mobile games Homescapes and Gardenscapes.

Homescapes and gardenscapes ads banned as misleading