Paid games may also contain advertising

But here are some ways in which paid games already show ads to paying players.

What do in-game ads look like?

When it comes to paid games, in-game ads can look a lot like real-world ads. It could be a billboard you see in the game world, a character interacting with a real-life product, or even a game built around an in-world organization or franchise. real.

Take EA Sports' NHL, F1 or even FIFA (now FC) games for example. While building these games, the studio must focus not only on the actual game itself, but also on all the teams, leagues, and franchises present in real-world sports to ensure Tell them to be in the game as realistically as possible. This is a great example of how games can promote a person (experts in their respective sports) or a company (equipment companies or partners in the actual sport).

In addition to existing ads, EA is currently considering including ads in AAA titles. EA CEO Andrew Wilson confirmed the potential plans in EA's latest F&A and stated that the company has internal teams working on how to implement in-game advertising in a "sophisticated" way. In addition to advertising games through their own launchers, game publishers may be about to discover a whole new avenue of advertising.

EA isn't the only big company looking to invest more in the gaming industry. Microsoft and Sony have both considered in-game advertising for Xbox and PlayStation. Both companies are also planning to integrate advertising without affecting the in-game experience. With the gaming industry expected to generate $221 billion in revenue by 2025, in-game advertising could become the new norm.

Well-executed in-game ads often go unnoticed. But it is the ads that interrupt gameplay that often cause backlash from gamers. But why do ads still appear in games that you have paid for?

Why do publishers put ads in paid games?

There are several reasons why publishers want ads in video games. From promoting products and partners to cross-product promotion, in-game advertising can significantly increase the revenue a game generates.

The ultimate motivation here is to make as much money from the game as possible, but it requires proper implementation to ensure that ads don't distract players from the actual game they want to play.

A great example of this is the in-game advertisement for EA's UFC 4 TV series The Boys. Ads are placed on the player's screen, interrupting the gameplay. It caused backlash from players and EA eventually removed the ad.

While free games use ads and microtransactions quite often, you wouldn't expect the same ads in a game you paid for in the first place.

Previous example of in-game advertising

In-game advertising is nothing new to the gaming industry and has been around since at least 1978's Adventureland. However, there have been some bad implementations since then. Below are a few typical examples!

1. Pepsiman

Pepsiman is as blatant as in-game advertising and is one of the best examples of an advertising game - a game built for the purpose of promoting a specific product or brand. For those who don't know, Pepsiman is Pepsi's superhero mascot capable of delivering Pepsi to those in need.

The game was released in Japan in March 1999 for the PlayStation 1 and consists of four stages, each divided into smaller segments. The goal is to deliver Pepsi cans to dehydrated people. You dash, jump, and run to avoid obstacles on your way to the person helping, and that's it.

This game did not sell very well, but it inspired similar later games such as Temple Run and Subway Surfers.

2. Death Stranding

In 2019, Monster Energy and Sony Interactive Limited launched a promotional campaign for the PS4 game Death Stranding. The game requires you to drink all the cans of Monster energy drink to replenish your character's stamina. In fact, the first mission of the game requires you to drink a can of Monster and then the character will perform a vitality dance.

The game features other brands such as JF Rey sunglasses and Acronym clothing, but they don't stand out as much as Monster's energy drinks and blend in well with the game's setting.

In a world as remote as the one where Death Stranding is set, branded items are rare, but Monster's stockpile of cans (the character even carries drinks in his water case), stands out quite a bit. strange. The game also doesn't give any explanation as to why the number of cans is so large.

3. Battlefield 2142

Before EA got caught up in all the microtransaction and DLC controversy surrounding its Battlefield games, Battlefield 2142 had been a testing ground for in-game advertising since 2006. The game had countless in-game advertising panels for companies.

However, it wasn't the visual part of the ad that caused outrage among gamers. The advertising technology developed by EA is said to send gamers' IP addresses and other anonymous details to specially designed in-game ads, similar to what we see on social media platforms. meeting today.

At least EA informed buyers about the full retail version of the data collection package, but that still takes the in-game advertising too far.

In-game advertising is a difficult thing to implement, and there are both good and bad examples. While selling digital advertising space within games can help publishers recoup development costs, ultimately making games cheaper and more accessible to players, the ads that are deployed Poor implementation, such as ads that interfere with the game experience, can leave a bad impression.