The politics of in-game advertisements

Some gamers may find in-game advertisements to be nothing more than shameless plugs, while others still believe it’s necessary.

In the Independent Game Conference in Austin, Gordon Bellamy goes into the subject a bit more and discusses how advertising could benefit not only the company who does the advertising, but also the game itself. He also explains why Doritos can’t go multiplatform. Find out why in the full article.

Gordon Bellamy of the in-game ad firm Double Fusion talks about the subject of in-game advertising in the Independent Game Conference in Austin. He discusses how advertising could benefit not only the company who does the advertising, but also the game itself.

Bellamy goes into the politics of in-game advertising, explaining that companies can work with Microsoft if they want dynamic ads on the Xbox, but it isn’t possible on the PlayStation 3 and the Wii, so “Doritos can’t be multiplatform.” The best platform for in-game ads, he says, is the PC, because it’s the “broadest market,” and that fosters competition.

He explains one of the successes of in-game advertising, citing Ubisoft‘s Far Cry. The game advertised products relevant to the area it’s released in, thus making it possible for the game to be freely distributed.

The downside, however, is that the game spread to areas where there weren’t any advertising partners. In effect the game was distributed for free without the support of advertising and the game had to be pulled out.

Bellamy explains that in-game ads will be a big business, recalling that just a few years before, companies were paid to participate. Now they have to pay the game to be able to participate. He explains that the industry may also grow to US$ 10 billion in four to five years.

He also reveals that Sony and Nintendo also had plans for in-game advertising but he would not reveal more, saying that they’d have to wait for an official announcement. “I think Sony will make an announcement first.”

Some gamers may find in-game advertisements to be nothing more than shameless plugs, but as fellow writer Charles D. said: “if it helps pay the […] bills […] then by all means advertise away.”

Via Gamasutra