Steam's annual Summer Sale kicked off on June 11th this year and while it typically brings laughter and joy to the hearts of all (sadness to their wallets), it brought utter frustration instead. Amidst the slew of games marked anywhere from 25% to 75% off, Grand Theft Auto 5 was listed as discounted – when it wasn't.
Upon clicking on the 'discounted game' and viewing the game's store page, users were annoyed to find that they had been tricked. Steam had GTA 5 listed with a 25% discount, but what wasn't revealed upfront was that it was the game and a Shark Cash Card.
Of course, the community raised their voices over the apparent scam.
As it turns out, the Advertising Standards Agency in the UK has upheld the complaint against Valve over the misleading sale price for Grand Theft Auto 5. The Advertising Standards Agency simply told Steam not to use the same type of baity ad again (regardless of the fact that the Sale ended months ago).
"The ad must not appear again in its current form. We told Steam to ensure their future savings claims did not mislead about the benefits available."
In the future, Steam will have to adhere to advertising standards and guidelines – hopefully they won't repeat the mistake. The Advertising Standards Agency doesn't exactly issue fines or the like, but they can bring legal action or fines against repeat offenders.
[RPS]
