ASA Adjudication on Square-Enix

Ad

A TV ad for the video game Final Fantasy XIII on the XBOX 360 featured sequences of footage from the game.

Issue

A viewer objected that the ad was misleading because the game footage in the ad was from the PS3 version of the game, which was of better quality to that of the XBOX 360

BCAP TV Code

Response

Square-Enix said the ad did not feature gameplay footage of images derived from a particular console, but rather contained full motion video (FMV) cut scenes. They explained that cut scenes were not generated by the XBOX or PS3 game engine, but were played back on the PS3 console to allow the advertisers to capture the FMV footage for the ad. They said it could have been captured on any device and was not content specifically generated by a particular console. Square-Enix sent the ASA a PS3 and XBOX 360 console, TVs and games to demonstrate the picture quality on both consoles. They explained that the PS3 and XBOX 360 versions of the Final Fantasy XIII games had been designed for output in the same resolution. Square-Enix said that there were hardware differences between the PS3 and the XBOX 360 which meant that the software could be compressed onto one disc on the PS3, but would be compressed to fit onto 3 DVDs for the XBOX 360 platform. They said that despite these differences, because the games were set to the same resolution, they were comparable in terms of quality. Square-Enix believed there was no substantive difference in the output of the game, except in very high definition where there may be subtle differences due to the hardware upon which the footage was viewed. However, they did not accept that this slight difference would be perceived by most viewers. Square-Enix said the ad was compressed into a standard definition (SD) format for broadcast and explained it was inevitable that the graphics would not be as sharp as they would be on a console or if the ad were viewed in High Definition (HD). Square-Enix said they did not believe any average viewer, or indeed avid gamer, would perceive any difference in the output unless reviewing the materially forensically.

Clearcast said that prior to clearance they received assurances that there was no difference between the PS3 and XBOX 360 format. They understood that the footage comprised of FMV cut scenes, which were animation scenes over which the player had no control. They said the ad did not feature any gameplay footage where there could be a discrepancy between the quality on the two platforms. Clearcast believed that it would be unlikely that an average viewer would be able to discern whether footage originated from the PS3 or XBOX 360 format.

Assessment

Upheld

The ASA noted that the viewer, who saw the ad in HD, was concerned that the images from the PS3 version of the game were sharper than those on the XBOX 360. We tested the two games, on screens with an identical set up, and ran them alongside one another. We noted that there was a discernable difference in the picture quality of the two; the PS3 image in video sequences appeared sharper and colours were more vivid than those of the XBOX 360.

We considered that, because the ad promoted the game on the XBOX 360 platform, it should have featured footage derived from that console. Because it did not, and because we considered that the use of PS3 footage in the ad exaggerated the quality of the footage available on the XBOX 360, albeit marginally, we concluded the ad was misleading.

The ad breached CAP (Broadcast) TV Advertising Standards Code rules 5.1.1, 5.1.2 (Misleading advertising) and 5.2.2 (Implications).

Action

The ad must not be broadcast again in its current form.

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Broadcast)