The United Kingdom’s Advertising Standards Agency is apparently investigating Κανένας ουρανός του ανθρώπου for misleading ads, especially promotional material – including both videos and screenshots – that were used leading up to the game’s release on both PC and PS4.
Various outlets have picked up the news from a Reddit ανάρτηση made by user AzzerUK who contacted the ASA about Κανένας ουρανός του ανθρώπου, stating that the game did not live up to the standards for which it had been advertised and promoted on the Steam store, in interviews, in trailers and in general by Hello Games.
The ASA responded to AzzerUK informing him that they are investigating Κανένας ουρανός του ανθρώπου to see if the game lives up to what was advertised in the screenshots, the videos, the interviews and what was promoted through websites and their previews, such as the ones posted up by IGN… specifically the ones posted up by IGN.
The ASA is serious when they investigate and they previously had EA removed ads for Dungeon Keeper due to the ads being misleading. They don’t play around.
Technically they could have the ads, screenshots and promotional material for Κανένας ουρανός του ανθρώπου scrubbed from being displayed in the U.K., if they deem the content misleading.
What’s interesting is the list of comparisons they want to make between the promo content and the actual game. As posted on Reddit, the list is below.
Βίντεο:
- Σχεδιασμό διεπαφής χρήστη
- Συμπεριφορά πτήσης πλοίου (σε σχηματισμό, με 'wingman', πτήση κοντά στο έδαφος)
- Συμπεριφορά ζώων (σε αγέλες, καταστρέφοντας τοπία, στο νερό, αντιδρούν στο περιβάλλον)
- Μεγάλης κλίμακας διαστημική μάχη
- Κατασκευές και κτίρια όπως απεικονίζονται
- Τρεχούμενο νερό
- Speed of galaxy warp/loading time
- Συστήματα σκόπευσης
Στιγμιότυπα:
- Size of creatures (9)
- Behaviour of ships and sentinels (4, 5 and 8)
- Structures and buildings as pictured (3)
Σελίδα καταστήματος γενικά:
- Ποιότητα γραφικών
- Αναφορές σε: έλλειψη οθονών φόρτωσης, εμπορικές συνοδείες μεταξύ αστεριών, φατρίες που ανταγωνίζονται για την επικράτεια
That’s not even to mention the claims about Κανένας ουρανός του ανθρώπου having multiplayer, which turns out doesn’t actually exist in the current iteration of the game.
According to AzzerUK, the ASA informed wrote that…
“The outcomes of ASA investigations are cross-applicable to other marketing making the same claims, so any decision reached in relation to the Steam page would apply to other advertising for No Man’s Sky where the same (or materially similar) claims appear.”
This means that if the content is deemed misleading in the U.K., and changes would have to be made to the digital storefronts selling the game, then it would apply retroactively to all the storefronts.
This probably explains why Hello Games have been neck-deep in patchwork at the moment and staying eerily silent, because if the comparisons are made and Κανένας ουρανός του ανθρώπου isn’t up to scratch to what they’ve been promoting… well, advertising for Κανένας ουρανός του ανθρώπου will be exiled into no man’s land.
