Sony’s been given a stern slap on the wrists by the Advertising Standards Authority for a “misleading” Gran Turismo Sport commercial which aired on UK television last year. The advert showed various tracks and vehicles that can’t be accessed without an Internet connection, which the body took particular issue with.
The platform holder countered that roughly 75 per cent of PlayStation 4 owners in Britain had connected their console to the Internet at some point during the month of the commercial’s screening, but the ASA argued that consumers would still expect the majority of the title to be playable offline if not appropriately notified otherwise.
In the weeks since, Polyphony Digital has marginally improved the simulation racer’s offline experience, but it still very much requires an Internet connection if you plan to play the title properly. As a result, Sony is not allowed to air the ad again without amendments making it clear that you more or less need to be online.
[source asa.org.uk, via eurogamer.net]
Comments 17
It's funny how this isn't ok but showing CGI trailers of games that look nowt like the actual product is. Yes often it says "not actual gameplay" but when games like God of War look as good as it does then why not show that instead of spending lots of money on CGI ads or worse "celeb endorsed" ones (Looking at you CoD)? No wonder some companies say "game development is too expensive".
@adf86 While I agree with you, there absolutely must be a reason companies do it. They'll have entire teams on huge salaries crunching all the numbers to figure out how best to advertise these behemoth games.
Wow, does the UK still live in the 19th century? Santa Monica better edit their God of War ads:
GOD OF WAR
"TV screen required"
"Electricity required"
"Gravity required"
@Kidfried could probably play it with no gravity...😁
@Kidfried These disclaimers are always ridiculous. Read the small print on any ad and it's just ridiculous nonsense to cover the company's ass legally.
@adf86 cgi commercials are becoming less common since most games use the in-game engine now for the cutscenes. the gran turismo ads all used the in-game engine i believe (which is similar to what the replays would look like which are in the final game). we have not seen anything like... oh, those old bioshock 3 commercials — that were entirely cg — for a very long time.
@YummyHappyPills Sure. I wasn't making fun at their expense, and also I know there's parents that don't let their kid connect to the internet. But all games have an online component nowadays. I feel it's really stupid for a country to still have a regulation about mentioning that.
@YummyHappyPills to be clear, I believe @Kidfried meant all games have an online component not in terms of multiplayer, but that generally they have to access the internet to check licenses, download performance patches, etc. And if not 100% of them, we're quickly marching towards an all-digital (and hence always online) gaming future.
COD WW2 required a day one patch for all content access, wonder if they'd earn a wristslap.
@sonicmeerkat Well the issue here is not that the game required an online connection, but that Sony didn't put any small print in the ad saying it did.
That's literally the entire issue in a nut shell.
Good lord, where did you get that picture from? GTS has one of the best photo suites ever put in a game and you put that pixelated eyesore up. Hilarious!
@Kidfried You joke, but this is a country where a supermarket once had to recall packets of peanuts because the label didn't contain a warning that the packet may contain nuts.
@johncalmc The UK is wonderful and fascinating country! But so is mine. Each country's probably strange in their own way.
Im ok with this. Any lying to the customer should be met with punishments.
The car in the Drive Club "showroom" seems a bit small. From that distance even a Golf isn't that small. In the GT showroom this seems much more realistic.
@Grim-Tuesday I think this isnt lying did tell something that is not true?
@Flaming_Kaiser Well, the advertised cars and tracks included in the game wouldn't actually be included in the game if they didn't have online to collect them with. It's like when Activision advertised Spyro 2 and 3 on the box when they weren't actually included in the disc. At least Activision wrote on the box that they would have to be downloaded and wouldn't be included in the disc. It sucks, but potential buyers are actually informed.
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