Sony has agreed to settle with the FTC over claims surrounding advertising for the PlayStation Vita.
There are two main issues; one, the advertising carried some misleading claims on the Vita’s capabilities, and two, their California based advertising firm Deutsch LA was accused of astroturfing.
FTC revealed this communication that the firm shared to employees, extorting them to use the #gamechanger hashtag when referring to the Vita. The issue is that Sony did not disclose that it was their own employees making these tweets.
Fellow Deutschers –The PlayStation Team has been working hard on a campaign to launch Sony’s all-new handheld gaming device, the PS Vita, and we want YOU to help us kick things off!The PS Vita's innovative features like 3G gaming, cross platform play and augmented reality will revolutionize the way people game. To generate buzz around the launch of the device, the PS Vita ad campaign will incorporate a #GAMECHANGER hashtag into nearly all creative executions. #GAMECHANGER will drive gamers to Twitter where they can learn more about the PS Vita and join in the conversation. The campaign starts on February 13th, and to get the conversation started, we’re asking YOU to Tweet about the PlayStation Vita using the #GAMECHANGER hashtag. Easy, right? . . .
· Sony promoted cross save to play games between PS3 and Vita, without disclosing it would not work for every title.
· Sony also failed to explain that this using this feature required buying both the PS3 and Vita versions of the games.
· Sony claimed that Vita could be used to play live multiplayer via 3G wireless, but this function never actually worked.
Sony shared this statement, in turn;
We believe that PlayStation Vita is the most advanced and powerful handheld video game device on the market, and the ultimate companion for a PlayStation 4 system. The advertising at issue in the FTC inquiry went to market more than two years ago at PS Vita’s launch in February 2012. Although we have a strong difference of opinion with the FTC as to the message that PS Vita purchasers took from that advertising, we decided to settle the FTC’s inquiry in order to focus on the PlayStation 4’s momentum into this holiday, where PlayStation Vita continues to play an important role. PlayStation has always been and will continue to be a brand built around our consumers, with a mission to deliver the best gaming experiences as our top priority. To that end, our settlement with the FTC will offer qualifying PS Vita owners the unique opportunity to get additional value and content for their handheld system.
If you bought a Vita before June 1, 2012, you should receive a notice by mail that could mean a $ 25 cash refund, or a $ 50 merchandise voucher.
Did you feel Sony misled you in its early advertising for the Vita? Are you satisfied with Sony’s statement and the terms of the settlement? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
