UK Advertising Standards Authority Bans Misleading Mobile Game Ads from King and Scopely
Mobile game ads must give people an accurate impression of the gameplay they can expect and mustn’t mislead them with scenarios or features that aren’t representative of the actual game,
said Freddie Alcock, senior investigative officer at the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The regulator announced bans against mobile game advertisements from major developers including King and Scopely for featuring non-representative gameplay that distorts the actual user experience.
The enforcement action also targets Singapore-based Omnilojo and Cyprus-based Vistrex, which operates under the name Royal Ark Games. Alcock stated that ensuring informed consumer decisions remains a priority for the agency, prompting continued regulatory action against rule-breaking campaigns.
King and Scopely Face Enforcement Over Fictional Mechanics
King, known for the Candy Crush franchise, faced an ASA ban over a Facebook advertisement for Farm Heroes Saga. The promotional video depicted a match-three puzzle where clearing icons triggered falling nails and drove a saw toward a cow. Investigators determined that these interactive elements do not exist within the game itself, creating an unattainable gameplay scenario for downloading users.
King defended the creative by describing the additions as fictional elements designed to convey urgency, while pointing to on-screen disclaimers stating Not actual gameplay.
The ASA ruled that the disclaimer contradicted rather than clarified the overall impression of the ad. A separate ban hit Loom Games’ Pixel Flow for promotional elements absent from actual gameplay. Scopely acquired a majority stake in Loom Games earlier this year.
Omnilojo and Vistrex Penalized for Cinematic Distortions
Omnilojo encountered three separate Google ad bans for Dark War Survival. The regulatory body found that the advertisements featured non-interactive, cinematic story sequences instead of live gameplay, paired with graphics that differed materially from the finished product. One advertisement utilized misleading award badges such as 2026 Game Creative
and 2026 Survival Game.
Omnilojo argued that these badges referred to store feature placements on Google Play and the Apple App Store, but regulators rejected the defense as misleading.
Vistrex faced a parallel prohibition over promotional material for Idle Zombie Miner: Gold Tycoon, distributed across Facebook and Google Play. The ASA determined that the advertisement misrepresented the core product by showcasing mechanics isolated to a brief 60-second minigame rather than reflecting the broader mechanics of the full title.