The maker of Homescapes and Gardenscapes, Playrix is 2 massively popular games for Android and iOS systems, have been taken out by the United Kingdom’s ads regulator for showcasing misleading ads. The maker has been alleged of showing ads that stand slight similarity to the authentic gameplay of these 2 mobile games. The Advertising Standards Authority has barred the ads and has said that they were not representatives of those games as they were supposed to feature. Both the games have more than one hundred millions of downloads on the Google Play store.
Both games have a comparable narrative that centers on the necessity to renew home or a garden. But then to complete the tasks, the user must cross levels and earn stars. These are gained by finishing match-3 type small-games which is similar to Bejewelled or Candy Crush Saga. But the ads highlighted a much more multifaceted, problem-solving gameplay. The games offered the users with correct and incorrect choices on each move that would assist the characters in escaping a trap, save another character, or prevent a tragedy.
Image from Gardenscapes
The game maker in its defense had contended that gameplay shown in its ads was a part of the progressive stages. But the ASA in its ruling sided with the 7 plaintiffs and told the maker that the ads should not be used again. As per a report from Sensor Tower, both the games had crossed 1 billion dollars in lifetime revenue by 2019 November.
The pop-up ads from Playrix were appearing frequently on Instagram and Facebook and as part of in-application promotions on other Android and iOS 3rd-party apps. They have also had a few knockoffs with other app makers using “Help her escape” puzzle gameplay ads to trap users into downloading the 2 games that were very dissimilar inexperience.
