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Warner Bros, PewDiePie slapped with FTC order over undisclosed promotions

By Danny Cowan July 11, 2016

ftc orders warner bros to disclose sponsored youtube content mordor header

YouTubers who produce paid promotional content may find themselves under close scrutiny in the coming months, as the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has ordered publisher Warner Bros. Home Entertainment to clearly disclose its influencer partnerships in light of alleged violations of FTC guidelines.

The FTC alleges that misleading promotional videos produced with Warner Bros’ backing were viewed “more than 5.5 million times” over the course of a Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor advertising campaign in 2014. Warner Bros. has since settled charges of deceptive marketing with the FTC, agreeing to “clearly and conspicuously” disclose such partnerships in the future.

A complaint from the FTC previously alleged that Warner Bros. paid YouTube influencers “tens of thousands of dollars” to produce sponsored content presenting Shadow of Mordor in a positive light. According to the FTC’s complaint, Warner Bros. also instructed its partners to conceal sponsorship disclosures within YouTube video descriptions, rather than within the videos themselves, as FTC guidelines dictate.

The FTC alleges that many prominent YouTubers failed to properly disclose their paid relationships with Warner Bros, including PewDiePie, a popular user who currently boasts more than 46 million subscribers. PewDiePie’s Shadow of Mordor content alone was viewed more than 3.7 million times, according to the FTC.

This looks like a pie in the face for PewDiePie.

“The proposed order settling the FTC’s charges prohibits Warner Bros. from misrepresenting that any gameplay videos disseminated as part of a marketing campaign are independent opinions or the experiences of impartial video game enthusiasts,” the FTC stated. “Further, it requires the company to clearly and conspicuously disclose any material connection between Warner Bros. and any influencer or endorser promoting its products.”

“Consumers have the right to know if reviewers are providing their own opinions or paid sales pitches,” said Jessica Rich, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Companies like Warner Brothers need to be straight with consumers in their online ad campaigns.”

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Insomniac Games has finally confirmed whether or not players will be able to switch between the two playable versions of Spider-Man while exploring the open world of Marvel's Spider-Man 2.

Ever since it was confirmed that Peter Parker and Miles Morales would both be playable in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, the question of whether or not players would be able to switch between them at any time in the open world arose. Although Marvel's Spider-Man 2's gameplay debut at the PlayStation Showcase didn't confirm whether or not that was the case, Creative Director Bryan Intihar revealed the answer in an interview with Eurogamer: yes, you can.
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Things will get a little more restrictive during more linear story missions, like the one we saw during the PlayStation Showcase, though. "When you're playing the main story, we control when you switch between Pete and Miles ... it's done in service to the story when we're making those switches, for sure," Intihar told Eurogamer. "So, as you saw on that gameplay reveal, which is a segment of the main story, we are predetermining those based on what we want to do for how the story plays out."
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Now, PS Plus is divided into three different tiers of subscriptions. The basic tier, PS Plus Essential, still gets three games per month added, while the Extra and Premium tiers will have a varying number of games added to their catalogs. With hundreds of games already and more coming and going all the time, even the most dedicated gamer won't be able to play everything on offer. To help you get the most bang for your buck, and so that no hidden gems go under your radar, here are all the best games to play on PS Plus Essential, Extra, and Premium right now.

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Scratching your head looking for today's Wordle answer? We have the solution to Wordle (#713) on June 2, as well as some helpful hints to help you figure out the answer yourself right here. We've placed the answer at the bottom of the page, so we don't ruin the surprise before you've had a chance to work through the clues. So let's dive in, starting with a reminder of yesterday's answer.
Yesterday's Wordle answer
Let's start by first reminding ourselves of yesterday's Wordle answer for those new to the game or who don't play it daily, which was "jazzy." So we can say that the Wordle answer today definitely isn't that. Now, with that in mind, perhaps take another stab at it using one of these Wordle starting words and circle back if you have no luck.
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Still can't figure it out? We have today's Wordle answer right here, below. But first, one more thing: Let's take a look at three hints that could help you find the solution, without giving it away, so there's no need to feel guilty about keeping your streak alive -- you put in some work, after all! Or just keep scrolling for the answer.

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Today’s Wordle uses two vowels, but not in succession.
Today's Wordle relates to the weather.