EA, Massive extend in-game ad deal through next two years
While Massive will continue to offer in-game ads in existing titles from EA, such as the recently released Burnout Paradise, the new deal will allow more advertisers to continue to hawk wares in existing titles, as well as in upcoming games -- including the next two Madden, NBA Live, Nascar, and NHL releases. According to EA, ads will focus on appealing to guys between the ages of 18 and 34, but interestingly will just be served to versions released for the Xbox 360 and PC. For players on other platforms looking for a similar experience, might we suggest taping up ads from your Sunday circular to the television while playing -- at least that way you have the option to take the nuisances down.
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(Page 1) Reader Comments
I pay full retail for the game and then I'm bombarded with Mountain Dew ads?
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In NHL 08 for example, I LOVE seeing ads from various hockey-related brands and other various companies. It's like being a real NHL game. Doesn't that mean the game is delivering (in the sense of realism)?
Are advertisements such an important part of your life? I for one am sick and tired of all the ads being plastered all over me: on TV, on radio, in newspapers, in magazines, inside and outside buses, trains, and streetcars, in schools, in universities, on skyscrapers, on street poles, on billboards, on t-shirts, and not to mention all over the internet (thank you Adblock and NoScript!).
Besides, shouldn't HOCKEY be the realistic thing in a HOCKEY game? Why not have a couple of mock ads instead of the same ones you're bombarded with everywhere else?
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Great way to screw up any serious game...
OH EA SUCKS! BTW!
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Speaking from personal experience, myself (I'm 21) and most of my friends make it a general rule to completely boycott companies that use extremely annoying or in your face ads if at all possible (we avoid them unless we absolutely need the product). For instance: AXE is in GH and their commercials are annoying, and I have yet to buy an AXE product; Mountain Dew Game Fuel, yep, never bought that either; Burger King - I think I've eaten there MAYBE once in the last year.
My point is, that I think most of these ads are actually turning away a large portion of their target audience rather than encouraging the consumer towards a purchase. The only ads that actually work to sway me are SOME game ads, but even then, I still check reviews before a purchase is made.
I think a big part of the issue for me is these ads been crammed in games for profit and the players don't get a break because of it. Publishers are making more money through advertising and yet we still get charged increasing prices for the games. I know games are getting much more expensive to develop, but you'd think that advertising would allow for a little more variation when it comes to game prices. In other settings, such as websites, submitting to ads means services come free and removing the ads requires a subscription fee. In the game world we are paying for the system, the game, and (in some cases) the online service already.
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If anything was ever done like the image appended to this article then it would become a problem, but thusfar I haven't seen that.
As far not seeing any pricebreak for it on the consumer end, yeah it'd be nice but I'd say that with a hefty inflation rate and skyrocketing developement costs we're pretty fortunate that game prices have remained pretty much constant over the past 20 years. Adjusted for inflation, I think we're seeing huge price breaks.
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Also, If there's in game ads, the game should cost allot less!!!
PS EA SUCKS!
I'm Out Lata Fools
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You all talk about adding to the "realism" of having ads shoved down our throats in other areas by having it present in our games. That's quite an interesting reflection of the state of entertainment and art. It's kind of sad when people yearn for more commercialization.
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Finally someone who is as disgusted as I am by this relentless commercialization of anything media! Radio and TV commercials that insult their audience's intelligence, tacky product placements in every movie, and now advertisement billboards in video games. For shame.
Why does realism equal (to so many!) being subjected to the drivel we are subjected to everywhere else? Why not take advantage of this flexible medium and play with imaginative fake brands and tongue-in-cheek ads? I remember popping in my freshly bought NFS: Underground 2 CD, and seeing a Best Buy billboard... That was the last mainstream video game I ever bought :-(
That makes me hope that reviewers will be kind enough to mention things like that in their commentaries so I can avoid crap like that at all costs.
@Alex:
Too true. How sad is it when the consumer actually has to WORK to avoid ads like that with TIVO and adblockers and such. I don't ever remember hating ads more than I have the last few years. It's beginning to get ridiculous. I have actually shown up late to movies on purpose just to avoid all of the crappy pre-feature commercials.
As far as Madden though, and other Arena sports games they aren't half bad. Only because the real environment of the stadium has some ads around, so it re-creates the stadium to be what it actually is. Though EA will most likely take this way overboard, adding way too many and try to put them in other games as well that shouldn't have any.
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I would also rather have a real ad in a city based game. Half the time these ads are there anyways but their fake. Few companies are actually creative enough to come up with funny fake ads.
And there is nothing more annoying to me then having fake (funny or otherwise) ads in NASCAR games.
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Expect ads between level loads in the future.. mark my words. Give them an inch they'll take a mile. (we're up to 4-6 mins with TV ads now if you hadn't noticed)
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0Xkikk6IRI
(skip to 2:10)
This was in '96 btw.
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As long as it's done well and tastefully, have at it!
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a lot really
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The problem is that they are increasing revenue by hurting our experience and NOT PASSING ON THOSE SAVINGS TO US.
I wouldn't give two craps if my AK-47 has a Pepsi logo on it if games were $10, $20, $30 cheaper.
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BUT
This is why EA wants the GTA series.. Think of all that Billboard Real Estate..
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