Sony 'opening up' PS3 in-game advertising platform
by Christopher Grant 
{ Feb 26th 2008 at 7:55PM }
Two years ago, Microsoft acquired in-game ad firm Massive which powers in-game advertising on the Xbox 360 platform. Sony's model is a "clear departure" from that – eMarketer's James Belcher says, "Making things open only makes things better for marketers or people who want to place ads because they aren't the mercy of a given network." With "baked in" ads, and competing dynamic services on the Xbox 360 and PS3 platforms, the reportedly $400 million game advertising business is going to become increasingly visible (for better or worse).
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
FidliousWong @ Feb 26th 2008 8:01PM
Keep it in home...
Ads are bad enough on the blades. I don't want them all over my XMB.
Tiptup300 @ Feb 26th 2008 9:25PM
Seriously, I hate all you people who complain about ads on the Xbox live interface. I'm banned from seeing them, so I have no way of knowing whats been released on Xbox live without looking. Its irritating, plus there's always just this big empty "XBOX 360" area everywhere. Its so dull and colorless. Except for web-ads, I enjoy ads. Makes it feel more happy and less communist.
Gregory Christopher @ Feb 27th 2008 6:56PM
You cannot just get on Xbox.com to look at all they have on live?
Pointz @ Feb 26th 2008 8:02PM
Why are they advertising casino royale and the grudge. Those are old now.
Van Faulk @ Feb 26th 2008 8:02PM
Opening up?
It's advertising. It doesn't mater who is paying to to assault us with ads.
All that matters is that its being done period and how its being done.
Alex @ Feb 26th 2008 8:20PM
As long as ads aren't in actual games *coughguitarhero3cough* I'm fine. I actually think this is a genius way to display ad, plus posters look better then blank walls.
PSN: KillaKornbread (the shirt is a lie!) @ Feb 26th 2008 9:54PM
exactly. i think some ads add to the realism of certain games. like if i can go to the Pepsi machine in GTA, thats great, but i dont want to see that Pepsi machine in a WW2 shooter. i actually love ads, you just have to pick your spots for them and not make them annoying.
Derick @ Feb 26th 2008 11:32PM
Yeah, product placement is far better than "force crap down your throat" advertising. The placement in guitar hero 3 was a little forced, but at least it fit into the game.
klitorisaurus @ Feb 27th 2008 2:27AM
There is definitely a fine line to be walked here. In certain cases in-game advertising can add to the realism of a game. Look how much advertisement is in the real world, a game world that's meant to emulate the real world looks even more fake without ads. At the same time I don't wanna see the same ads over and over again. How many times did I crash into the Gillette Fusion van in Burnout Paradise. This is where dynamic advertising would be much better.
Advertising in direct fantasy worlds like Oblivion and WoW would be ridiculous. Advertising in period pieces like WWII should be strictly limited to retro ads by companies that existed at that time, like Coke, Pepsi , Ford etc. It could be pretty cool of done properly. Same goes with the Future. If I see a "The Dark Knight" ad in some space themed game I'll shit myself.
colin @ Feb 26th 2008 8:20PM
double fusion ... hmmm ... is that like advertising a great movie next to one that is complete shite? like casino royale and the grudge 2 ... i guess its kind of like magnet schools.
Batzarro @ Feb 26th 2008 8:36PM
It's not so much that they don't like ads, rather that they SEE RIGHT THROUGHT THEM, and product information being so avalable nowadays...
(The author started in a marketing class)
CGamble20 @ Feb 26th 2008 8:39PM
You sir, are spot on.
I don't mind ad's at all. Ad agency's aren't dumb enough to "assault us", especially since Sony is putting competition in ad agencies, which will make more innovative ad's. (like those wack a mole ad's on the internets)
but, i just think its money better spent somewhere else, gamers aren't influenced by ad's, not in any way. Not even by a percent.
DMeisterJ @ Feb 26th 2008 8:42PM
If it means cheaper games, or keeping online play/HOME free, I'm all for it.
CGamble20 @ Feb 26th 2008 8:45PM
It won't make games any cheaper. Dev's use that ad cash to subsidize for the loss by developing the game, not to subsidize the loss in consumer's wallets lol
It does help keep HOME free though...so thats a plus...
but advertisers beware, game ad's are a waste.
DMeisterJ @ Feb 26th 2008 8:51PM
Oh, okay then, at leat HOME will be free.
Trethan @ Feb 26th 2008 8:46PM
Am I the only one that thinks in-game advertising is a good thing when it's done right? Doesn't anyone else think it adds a sense of realism to their gaming?
I certainly don't want to see ads for Harley Davidson in a game like Overlord, but wouldn't you rather see Niko drink a Coke than "Zap!" cola?
And a space billboard for Taco Bell in Mass Effect? That's advertising AND comedy.
Immersion and extra money. Seems like a win win to me, when done properly.
CGamble20 @ Feb 26th 2008 8:50PM
I have said it several times on these comments...
In-game ad's aren't that bad. I like them alot, but they are a waste of money for advertisers because gamers just don't give a crap. They see the ad and think "comedy", it doesn't influence them like TV ads do.
Trethan @ Feb 26th 2008 9:08PM
On a personal level, I disagree. Television ads have no more affect on me than in-game ones if they're based on the same ad.
The problem occurs because gaming advertisements are static while other mediums are constantly changing. I'll give an example.
I know what Olive Garden is. I occasionally eat there. I don't need reminded of Olive Garden; if I have a craving for it, I'll go there. So if I'm driving past an Olive Garden billboard in Burnout Paradise, it does nothing for me. But if a commercial comes on advertising a new dish like Lasagna Rollatini on the television and it looks good, I'm interested. And next week it can be a new dish that looks good, and I'm interested. Might have to go to Olive Garden soon.
Meanwhile in Burnout, it's the same old billboard that doesn't tell me anything new that I care nothing about.
Now what if DJ Atomica came across Crash FM in Burnout and told me about the dish, described how delicious it was, and there was a billboard letting me see how good it looked? And next week he had a different ad, different billboard, etc. Same effect.
So it's not necessarily that in-game advertising isn't a worthwhile medium, it's the ads that are being used and the way they're delivered.
CGamble20 @ Feb 26th 2008 10:01PM
@ Trethan
no, you just have no understanding of advertising.
TV ad's and game ads are compeltely different.
Television ad's have multiple goals, but the biggest one is to explain what the crap the product is and why you should want it. When you watch a commercial on Dr. Pepper and it explains how refreshing it is, and how great a soda it is...then the next time you think of buying a soda, the hope is, you buy Dr. Pepper because you think of that commercial.
Game ads are different. They market for different reason's. and in the gaming world, nobody gives a crap. If I see a billboard on GT5 that has mountain dew on it, I am no more compelled to buy mountain dew.
This is all IMO though.
Trethan @ Feb 26th 2008 11:20PM
Alright, and in my personal opinion, I'd absolutely HATE to meet someone that actually thought of an ad when buying a product they've already tried. If I'd never had Dr. Pepper, then a commercial telling me how refreshing it is might get me to try it. But since I've had it, why in the world would I care about a commercial telling me what it is? I already know.
You'd have to be pretty damn dumb to stand there in the store and think "Hey, I saw that commercial for Dr. Pepper... now that they mention it, that just might be refreshing!" No, you buy what you like.
Advertising (and again, this is only to me) is most effective when advertising a new product, or trying to get your name out there as a company if you're not well known. Hence my previous example about just advertising Olive Garden versus advertising a new dish. A more common example: A plain old commercial for Pizza Hut comes on. Any desire to go to Pizza Hut? No. A commercial comes on advertising their new pizza. It looks good. Are you more likely to go to Pizza Hut to try it? I am.
When it comes to established companies/products (Pepsi, Snickers, Frito Lay, etc) I see advertising the same as celebrities in the tabloids. It's just to keep your name out there. A little jingle, a catchy slogan, and you stay famous for a little while longer. As long as Pepsi is on TV, you can't forget about it.
But does that make you buy it? If you're a kid, yes. If you're an adult, god I hope not. I'd hope people would have some level of control. Most people, that is.
And that's the whole point. It isn't the medium, it's the ads being put out within said medium. TV ads are better, but that doesn't make television a better place to advertise. (All things being equal such as viewers, cost, etc.)
Pepsi paid Britney Spears millions of dollars for their commercials a few years back. Did you ever once choose Pepsi over another product due to those commercials?
Zeus.:God @ Feb 26th 2008 9:03PM
Well I guess people can't really bitch about the Xbox related adds on the 360 anymore, because not only will there be advertisements on the PS3, they will be of all different kinds from all different companies.
RoboChamp @ Feb 26th 2008 9:06PM
Yeah, but heres the thing: Your paying for one of them.
Zeus.:God @ Feb 26th 2008 9:19PM
Heres the thing, PSN doesn't compare to XBL.
I guess they gotta' allow other advertisers to have some room on their network, otherwise they wouldn't be able to afford keeping their shit free.
el serpiente @ Feb 26th 2008 9:45PM
Of course it compares. Free > Paid.
BOOM! HEADSHOT!
RoboChamp @ Feb 26th 2008 9:05PM
They can do what ever they want, as long as they don't delay my game time.
Nana Sarpong @ Feb 26th 2008 9:07PM
yea, i think it would look cool, if it's appropriate to the game/level/scenery you're playing. don't see anything wrong with billboards on streets or posters on walls. but definitely not in the middle of the desert in Motorstorm or a t-mobile ad in a WWII war game. haha
Trethan @ Feb 26th 2008 9:11PM
I love the ads on the 360.
They let me know when new demos are up, new videos, new trailers, game announcements, etc.
I hadn't been faithfully checking news sites for a few days (sorry Joystiq!) last week, and guess what a friend and I learned the second I booted up the 360? Gears of War 2, November 2008. Followed by gleeful shouting.
Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Feb 26th 2008 11:35PM
I'm in the same boat as you. I really don't mind the ads, and they do in fact keep in informed of demos and other stuff that i wasn't aware of.
Mills and Boom @ Feb 26th 2008 9:18PM
Heh, after watching a few US TV torrents I'm already pissed off at the amount of adverts you guys get. 25 minute show... with 2 lots of adverts during the show? WTF.
I like it in the UK where we get 1 set of adverts. Or none (zip, nada) on BBC stuff.
God I love the BBC.
Oh yea. I'm sick of adverts on the 360 too. Yea, so I paid for Live. Why are you giving me adverts too?
Keep them away thanks. Adverts on any level degrade the experience for me.
Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Feb 26th 2008 9:26PM
Why? Because as long as you have money, you're a potential customer.
Mills and Boom @ Feb 26th 2008 9:28PM
I don't care about what they have to offer. When the time comes that I want to buy something they're selling then I'll research and look into it. No amount of advertising will change my mind, if anything overly advertising something will turn me away from the product.
Sit on that - advertisers.
Wild Bill @ Feb 27th 2008 8:16AM
I'm sure the BBC would love to go into game devlopment.
You own a console? - You are legally obliged to pay us £10 a month for the games we provide for it.
Don't like our games? - Bad luck, we say they're good for you.
You don't play our games? You play another companies games instead? - Bad luck, you've still gotta keep paying us, it's the LAW.
Don't cry! We're a public service games company, we're your FRIENDS.
The Sound @ Feb 26th 2008 9:32PM
As long as it's done right, I have no issue.
I mean, it's no fun in sports games to see bad fake ads. That'll be my one big gripe for MLB The Show '08, is the graphics look great, but the stadiums still look cheesy with 'Cola' and 'Bob's Hardware and Wood flooring' et. cetera. as the billboards.
Mr Khan @ Feb 26th 2008 9:44PM
Follow the rules of pr0n sites for user happiness
Totally Free > Ad-supported > Pay Site (would've done it the other way were not for the HTML confusion)
ThornedVenom (Patapornographer) @ Feb 26th 2008 10:31PM
The moment ads become irrelevant is the moment ingame ads become out of control.
hey_big_dck @ Feb 26th 2008 11:33PM
i bet they will probably just put ads on the loading screen and new ads will be changed thanks to the magic of the internet.
Curmeo @ Feb 27th 2008 12:38AM
glad to see the PS3 as continuing to be the most open platform this gen. i guess Kutaragi really influenced SCE to change their ways.
Kujel @ Feb 27th 2008 1:49AM
This is going to drive BS3 even further down!
Mills and Boom @ Feb 27th 2008 7:22AM
HAha! Yup.
cduran01 @ Feb 27th 2008 7:41AM
I wouldn't mind the adds too much, but there are definitely some games where adds wont look right at all. One that comes to mind now is Patapon ;)
Wild Bill @ Feb 27th 2008 8:30AM
Lots of people seem to be saying this. Probably worth bearing in mind though that if in-game advertising really takes off and becomes a standard way of helping fund game devlopment it is likely to affect the production of games that don't fit this "realism" model.
There'll be more and more GTA clones, Fifa streets, Burnouts etc. and less of anything that doesn't allow for seamless inworld advertising. Either that or you'll just have to accept the Nike adverts in Oblivion, because without them the game doesn't get made.
This is the case in commericial broadcast television, where advertising moulds the content (DIY shows, dieting shows, car shows etc.)
This illustrates just how important it is to have public service broadcasters like the BBC which actively develop and support uncommerical genres (ahem).
Wild Bill @ Feb 27th 2008 8:32AM
That was meant to be in reply to one of the "So long as the adverts are in keeping with the feel of the game" comments.
Gregory Christopher @ Feb 27th 2008 6:56PM
They better place game prices back to $50 if they start doing this
Lekko @ Feb 28th 2008 4:13AM
Actually, I, for one, am ALL FOR in-home ads. Not posters or banners, but something more.
Example: for the grudge? I want to have the grudge kid show up randomly in my house, like it was actually under a curse. For Bond? If he randomly crashed through the living room and started blowing things up, then casually walked out my front door. Resident evil? You look out the window and there are just zombies walking about everywhere.
NOW THAT IS AN AD.