Coming To Video Games: Live Ads
Game publisher Electronic Arts Inc. announced yesterday that it has inked deals with two ad companies that will stream live advertising into its games.
Players of the latest version of EA's Need for Speed see the same billboard ads on the side of the virtual roads whenever they play the street-racing game. But with live ads streamed via the Internet in the next version of the game, players could see different ads every time they turn the game on.
In-game advertising company Massive Inc., which was acquired by Microsoft Corp. this year, will be streaming ads into Xbox 360 and PC versions of that game, along with up to three other EA titles, which were not announced.
Some players find such advertising objectionable -- after all, many games for the Xbox 360 cost $60 apiece. But many game fans say they like the ads because they contribute to the illusion of a realistic urban or sports-arena environment. Generally, publishers have avoided putting advertising in fantasy titles or other types of games where a billboard advertisement would seem out of place.
Chip Lange (EA's vice president of online commerce) said that, eventually, such advertising could lead to live, in-game product placement -- where cars or other products are put into games to coincide with an advertiser's marketing campaign. But that's a possibility that's still far down the road, he said.
"We've taken our time getting to here," he said. "We're beginning the learning process, as is the industry."
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