As the popularity of puzzle games is on the rise, there has been an increase in the number of mobile games that have used different ad videos to show mechanics they don’t use. And shares the same gameplay concept, combining traditional match-3 mechanics with a storyline. Gardenscapes combines simulation elements and traditional match-three mechanics while Homescapes is a Gardenscapes spin-off. Several times now, while playing tablet games with my kiddo, I’ve heard her say, this game looks cool, daddy, only to wait for the ad to finish and realize it’s yet another blatantly false advertisement for a mediocre app we’ve downloaded - and rather promptly deleted - before. The ASA also mentioned that the ads should not be used again. The ads for Garden/Homescapes are absolutely out of control. ASA said that the ads showed the gameplay where players pull pins in a specific order to solve a puzzle but the actual games had totally different gameplay. Homescapes and Gardenscapes ads banned by ASA after they received formal complaints from seven users. This has come as a shock for Playrix, which recently became world’s second-biggest gaming company by mobile revenue, reported by AppAnnie. These games are Homescapes and Gardenscapes. In a recent development, the ads of two popular games from the Russia-based international developer Playrix have been banned by Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

Homescapes gardenscapes townscapes ads