UK bans Dungeon Keeper ad, accuses EA of "misleading" customers

[Gahars]

​

I'm horny, short for the Horned Reaper,
The mascot for Dungeon Keeper.
Customers better take a step back
Because EA's now getting some ad flack.

The Advertising Standards Authority has banned a Dungeon Keeper advert it ruled had misled customers.

A direct email for the controversial mobile game drew a complaint from one user who "challenged whether the ad was misleading because it omitted significant information", the ASA said. After an investigation, the ASA found the ad breached its code, and today published its ruling.

Dungeon Keeper was heavily criticised upon its release for its heavy-handed in-app purchases. Eurogamer's Dungeon Keeper review dug up a 1/10. At E3 last month EA boss Andrew Wilson admitted the company had "misjudged" the game's economy and described the project as a "shame", before promising to learn from the experience with future free-to-play titles.

Eurogamer[prebreak]Continue Reading[/prebreak]

You ought to have taken a tad more care
With your marketing because your ad there's
Gonna need reinvention, make it more fair.
You'll be sore as the day your stocks hit bare bottom.
As if we'd forgotten
You hail from a place that is fatally rotten.

The ban of legal strikes again!

 

[migles]

i did not understand much, but i give you a like because the rhyme xD
which tv news was like this... such entertaining..

 

[CathyRina]

whaaaat? EA misleading customers? impossible!

 

[WiiCube_2013]

whaaaat? EA misleading customers? impossible!

Then there's UghBI which is the European EA, same shitty schemes but somehow even worse (look at Watch Dogs).

 

[CathyRina]

Then there's UghBI which is the European EA, same shitty schemes but somehow even worse (look at Watch Dogs).

ikr the watch dogs BS was a giant f*k you to PC gamers. Anyway that's a little off topic.

 

[zeello]

Eurogamer are assholes. I'm not reading anything from them after last night seeing their review of PSP street, a work of blatant falsification and lies.

 

[GHANMI]

Then there's UghBI which is the European EA, same shitty schemes but somehow even worse (look at Watch Dogs).

Ha ha, no.
Ubisoft at least shipped Watch Doge as something playable. (it feels like a repetitive poor GTA clone, but still playable)
Of course it was indeed an overhyped POS with bribery reviews, but even with the stunt they pulled with the graphics, they did at one point pre-release had the tiny disclaimer ("In-progress footage, not representative of the final product").
They don't nearly do as much lay-offs as... some.

They may be bad at times, but in no way comparable to EA which didn't put that disclaimer, and had no problem claiming their game was free (which is a lie: not free, and certainly not a game but a glorified slot machine with 100%loss rate). Nothing could be worse.

 

[CathyRina]

Ha ha, no.
Ubisoft at least shipped Watch Doge as something playable. (it feels like a repetitive poor GTA clone, but still playable)
Of course it was indeed an overhyped POS with bribery reviews, but even with the stunt they pulled with the graphics, they did at one point pre-release had the tiny disclaimer ("In-progress footage, not representative of the final product").
They don't nearly do as much lay-offs as... some.

They may be bad at times, but in no way comparable to EA which didn't put that disclaimer, and had no problem claiming their game was free (which is a lie: not free, and certainly not a game but a glorified slot machine with 100%loss rate). Nothing could be worse.

I remember people getting frustrated over how shitty the PC version of Clock_Puppies was. The game wouldn't bother to start working and if it did it would run like shit even with the downgraded graphics. Using the "mod", which is a custom config file, made the game look E3-ish while keeping the same framerate. I still wonder how that even works.

 

[jumpman17]

How is this game different then the billion other freemium games out there? I don't recall all the Clash of Clans and Candy Crush Saga ads on TV mentioning they are freemium games ever. Heck, Clash of Clans shows you a 3d animated movie to advertise their game. That's not even what the game looks like.

 

[Dann Woolf]

How is this game different then the billion other freemium games out there? I don't recall all the Clash of Clans and Candy Crush Saga ads on TV mentioning they are freemium games ever. Heck, Clash of Clans shows you a 3d animated movie to advertise their game. That's not even what the game looks like.

Most of those freemium games aren't raping the corpse of a beloved franchise.

 

[Deleted member 194275]

Even that I dont see where the ad is hurting customers, Dungeon Keeper is one of the best games from Ms DOS era... what EA did with that mobile version was a cultural crime, they messed real hard with player's memories... so the ad itself is not the problem, the problem is the game itself...

 

[Guild McCommunist]

For reference...

 

[FAST6191]

Have any mobile recreations/sequels to classics ever done anything well? It is extremely hit and miss on the PC and home consoles, the likes of the Nintendo and Sony handhelds are not great though there it is usually just bad ports or weaker sequels and on the likes of andrios we see James Pond in Deathly shadows and Cannon Fodder 3.

 

[McHaggis]

To be fair, they're subliminally warning their potential customers at the end of the advert. "Funnelling your funds to [EA], can you compute?", should be enough of a warning to anyone.

 

[codezer0]

I wish 'murica had the balls to do stuff like this more often.

 

[Alchemilla]

Isn't the game misleading customers into thinking they're having fun? They should ban that too!

 

[Silverthorn]

Hmm I don't get it, why's everyone talking as if the video in the OP is banned ad?
If you go to the article it says the banned ad stated:

Spoiler

"GET DUNGEON KEEPER ON MOBILE FOR FREE! ... DIG. DEVISE. DOMINATE. Build the most badass dungeon ever! Raise an army of diabolical minions and lay twisted traps to destroy any opponents foolish enough to set foot in your lair. MASTER THE HAND OF EVIL Cast powerful spells, pillage and plunder other players' dungeons, and slap your imps around to make them work harder. A world of wicked fun is right at your fingertips. What are you waiting for, Keeper? Get it for FREE!"

which is not what the video is about Although the OP is a bit confusing, I agree..

 

[CathyRina]

I think the problem here is that the ad said its free while showing a screenshot of tons of non free content.
Which is of course misleading into thinking the screenshot shows free content, not the one you have to pay.

 

[DinohScene]

Dungeon keeper got released for phones?
Wat?
I thought it was a 90's PC game that died in peace...

 

[Alchemilla]

I think the problem here is that the ad said its free while showing a screenshot of tons of non free content.
Which is of course misleading into thinking the screenshot shows free content, not the one you have to pay.

"Entirely free never pay for anything fun!"

Then there are microtransactions so far up the fuckin' ass that that light you're seeing is the exit from the mouth.